SCMP, April 7, 2001: One of China's most popular and cutting-edge newspapers is hoping to launch a weekly English-language edition.
'We want to publish a paper geared for the tens of thousands of foreigners living in Beijing, who want news that caters to their interests,' an official of the Beijing Youth Daily's general management office said.
While Beijing has several English-language magazines that provide travel articles and entertainment guides, the only English-language newspaper is the Xinhua-produced China Daily.
Foreigners who cannot read Chinese must make do with reading the free China Daily, unless they are willing to pay the hefty subscription fees for major overseas papers or hunt them down at five-star hotels across the city.
Many complain the China Daily lacks interesting and informative content, and serves instead as a propaganda tool for the Government, with articles geared to boost foreign investment.
The Beijing Youth Daily has already placed a job advertisement to hire 10 English editors and two art designers, but the official said the plan for the paper had yet to be finalised.