Shanghai welcomes international media corporations to take part in
developing the city's new media - a combination of the Internet and
traditional information services, Mayor Xu Kuangdi said yesterday.
During a meeting with Gerald M. Levin, chief executive officer of
America Online Time Warner
Inc. , Xu said the city should fully develop its combined
information services, including Web-based and print media.
"China's pending entry into the World Trade Organization is
important in terms of strengthening relationship and investment,"
said Levin, adding that Shanghai will become a global center for
new media, business, culture and entertainment.
Levin said America Online
Time Warner is seeking the Chinese government's approval to
broadcast its China Entertainment Television channel on the Chinese
mainland.
The channel's programs are now only available at luxury hotels in
southern Guangdong Province.
According to the Asian Wall
Street Journal , America Online Time
Warner is expected to soon win approval to broadcast the
channel's programs to Chinese homes.
In
June, America Online, the Internet
arm of AOL Time Warner, formed a joint venture in Beijing with Legend Holdings ,
China's largest personal computer maker, to provide Internet
content and access service on the mainland. The first-phase
investment of the deal was valued at US$200 million.
Both Xu and Levin agreed that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
meetings indicated things are still moving forward even after the
September 11 terrorist attack on the United States.
(eastday.com October 21,
2001)