The mainland is giving greater scrutiny to media with foreign involvement, suspending the publication of one magazine and ousting the team producing another in what some industry officials see as a tightening of control over English-language media ahead of the Olympics. This month, the government temporarily halted publication of the popular monthly magazine Time Out Beijing, citing licensing issues. The scrapping of the June issue, first reported by The Times of London, came after more than three years of publication. A representative of Time Out said the move was caused by a recent change of partners in China. 'It is normal commercial practice to renew print permits following the establishment of new business relationships. While existing printing permits are being renewed, real-time English-language content is available online,' an e-mailed statement said. UK-based Time Out, which bills itself as the leading authority on the world's best cities, recently joined with Hong Kong-listed advertising agency SEEC Media Group. The mainland strictly controls foreign participation in media content, so all ventures must have a domestic partner. The website of Time Out Beijing remains accessible, including content from the banned print edition. A state-backed publisher has ousted the team producing another English-language magazine, that's Beijing. China Intercontinental Press, which is supported by the State Council's Information Office, told privately owned Beijing True Run Media this month that their relationship had ended. Mike Wester, general manager of True Run, said the separation followed months of negotiations through which Intercontinental Press had tried to increase its management control and share of revenue from the magazine. 'It just didn't seem fair, but it's totally within their rights because they control the brand. This is just the way business works in China,' said Mr Wester, who has been producing that's Beijing since it first appeared in 2001. For one of the original founders of the that's group of magazines, however, the move was a repeat of his own experience. Mark Kitto, a magazine manager who was ousted by China Intercontinental Press in 2004, said the government tried to tighten control over English-language media in Shanghai before the city hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum meeting in 2001. In an e-mailed statement, he said it was 'surely no coincidence' that the latest move had happened before the Olympics.