Tian Congming, President of Xinhua News Agency, held talks with European Union's Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in Beijing Tuesday.
The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the regulations governing news and information distribution by foreign news agencies in China.
The regulation, entitled "Measures for Administering the Release of News and Information in China by Foreign News Agencies”, was released on September 10, 2006, with immediate effect.
Tian said Xinhua is open and insisted that negotiations should be conducted on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and trust.
Xinhua is authorized by the Chinese government to shoulder the responsibility of implementing the regulation, said Tian.
"The regulation is in line with Chinese laws and regulations, and it is in no breach of either WTO rules or China's WTO commitments," said Tian, in response to Mandelson's concerns that the regulation has breached World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and hampered foreign news agencies' business activities in China.
Tian pointed out that the business volume of foreign news agencies in China has kept growing since the implementation of the regulation, and there has been no single case that proves foreign news agencies' commercial activities in China have been hampered by the regulation.
Therefore, the regulation will not be modified and there is no such need to do so, Tian said, stressing that all foreign news agencies should abide by China's laws and regulations when releasing information in China.
According to the regulation, foreign news agencies should release information in China via an agent. The Chinese government has strict rules on the appointment of agents and exerts tight supervision, he said.
"If the designated agent is found to be irresponsible, or to have conducted any violation, it will receive a stiff punishment and its role will be cancelled," said Tian.
As for the registration of subsidiaries of foreign news agencies in China, Tian said it is out of the authorization of the regulation and suggested the foreign agencies apply to the administration for industry and commerce and the Ministry of Commerce.
Tian said he is willing to continue consultations with foreign agencies on the specific implementation of the regulation.
Mandelson, who had discussions with Tian on the regulation in London on June 26, said he is delighted to see the "physical form" of Xinhua which he and his colleagues had talked about so much.
He said he does not question the regulation itself, but wants to talk about the concrete details of how the regulation is put into practice, adding the current discussion helped him know more about Xinhua.
Xinhua Vice Presidents Lu Wei and Zhou Xisheng attended the talks. Before the talks, Mandelson toured around Xinhua's news desks.
Mandelson, who arrived in Beijing last Friday for a six-day China tour, is here to attend the 10th China-EU Leaders' Meeting scheduled for Nov. 28.
This is his fifth visit to China since he took the office of EU Trade Commissioner in 2004.
Source:Xinhua
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