960416

China announces

rules on foreign

news vendors

BEIJING: China announced late on Monday regulations to govern economic information supply by foreign news vendors, but gave no details of the fees such agencies would have to pay regulator Xinhua news agency.

No foreign news agency would be permitted to publish economic information in China without examination and approval by Xinhua, the official news agency said.

On January 16, China's State Council ordered foreign news agency vendors of economic information to submit to regulation and possible censorship by Xinhua and gave a three-month deadline for registration.

The regulations were aimed at upholding China's state sovereignty, protecting the rights of domestic users of economic information and promoting the healthy development of China's information industry, Xinhua said.

It said all approved foreign news agencies supplying economic information in China would have to pay Xinhua a service fee, adding methods for paying the fee would be worked out separately.

All subscribers to foreign economic news vendors were required to seek the approval of Xinhua's Foreign Information Administration Centre, but would pay no service fee, it said.

The rules were valid from April 15, Xinhua said. Earlier this month the agency had said China could postpone registration of foreign news vendors beyond the April 16 deadline if the regulations could not be issued on time.

Foreign agencies publishing economic news in China were required to submit to Xinhua details of the information provided, fees charged, methods of transmission and fee collection and forms of technical service, the agency said.

Foreign economic information vendors with a presence in China include Reuters Holdings Plc, Dow Jones-Telerate and Bloomberg.-Reuter