Senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Li Changchun met with a Reuters delegation led
by its Chairman Niall FitzGerald on Thursday, during which he
called upon the news agency to report fairly about China.
"Reuters should be a bridge in helping the world gain a better
understanding about China, and should thus report about China as it
is," said Li.
Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
of the CPC Central Committee, also praised the strong partnership
between Xinhua News Agency and Reuters for the last fifty
years.
The meeting came following a celebration in the Great Hall of
the People to mark five decades of cooperation between Xinhua and
Reuters on Thursday afternoon.
In Xinhua's formative years, Reuters was the first Western news
agency to establish ties with Xinhua, with the two signing a news
story exchange deal in May 1957.
Li stated that exchanges between international news
organizations were a vital part of the new information era being
ushered in across the world.
FitzGerald singled out China's economic and social development
for praise, adding that Reuters is willing to establish a more
effective partnership with Xinhua.?
Senior officials also in attendance were Liu Yunshan, head of
the CPC Central Committee Publicity Department, Xinhua President
Tian Congming and Xinhua Editor-in-Chief Nan Zhenzhong.
(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2007)