The Asian Wall Street Journal, which celebrates it 20th anniversary on Sunday, is looking for partners to expand its printing operations in the region. Managing director William Adamopoulos said China, where circulation stood at just above 1,300, was an obvious target. 'In the next 20 years, we hope to be printing in every major market out here,' he said. Mr Adamopoulos said the paper, owned by Dow Jones and Co, was looking at new printing sites across the region but he declined to name them. In May, printing began in Kuala Lumpur at Papyrus Printing, a subsidiary of Star Publications, the Journal's fifth printing centre after Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Bangkok. 'We have been adding printing plants,' Mr Adamopoulos said. 'In this day and age of instant information, we find we have to get the paper to readers in the morning rather than the afternoon. 'But it depends a lot on finding the right partners. In Malaysia, we were recently lucky to link up with Star.' The Hong Kong-based daily has 15 bureaus in Asia and employs 60 journalists. Audited circulation has grown from 13,717 in 1978 to 53,767 this year. It sells more than 14,000 in Hong Kong. January to June CMR International figures gives the paper a 14.7 per cent share of the regional publications markets, second to Time, and with a first half advertising revenue of US$18.1 million, 20.1 per cent higher than the same period last year - the region's biggest increase. The Journal's anniversary will be celebrated with receptions in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Tokyo. A supplement, 'Twenty Years in Asia', will be published on Monday.
