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Official: Bridge Linking Beijing and Foreign Business Communities

As China's political and cultural centre, Beijing serves as home to the most important, most influential news organizations in China including People's Daily, the organ of the ruling Communist Party, and Xinhua News Agency, an organ of the Chinese Government. Hundreds of other newspapers and scores of magazines are also published and circulated, either in Beijing or across the country. Beijing This Month was designed to give foreigners in Beijing a chance to peer into the unique history and culture of the Chinese capital. But what was in the minds of the sponsors when they decided, in 1994, to launch Business Beijing as a special supplement to Beijing This Month? To put it another way, what is the worth of our publication? In what direction should our publication develop?

Wang Hui, director of the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, answered these questions in a recent interview.

Launching of Business Beijing

The launch of Business Beijing came in response to tremendous changes have taken place in the Chinese capital since the State policy of reform and opening was adopted in the late 1970s

"By the 1980s," she said, "Beijing had aroused global attention for its economic successes."

Since the 1990s, even more people have come to Beijing from all over the world, and many of them have been lured-in by business and investment opportunities the city was bound to provide in growing numbers.

"Beijing, an ancient capital city, has always been a most reputed tourist destination," she says. "We now felt pressed to provide those who came for business with a reliable source of business information. That's why we decided to launch a magazine targeted at the foreign business community here, and to charge it with the task of providing, in good time, accurate, authoritative business information to facilitate the city's foreign economic cooperation."

Foreign residents in Beijing fall into four main categories - governmental and non-governmental officials, diplomats, businesspeople, experts engaging in cultural exchanges with China and students.

"Businesspeople account for a large proportion of our foreign residents, and they are playing no small a role in promoting Beijing's development," Wang said. "Business Beijing has proved its worth in serving their need for information. It has served as a bridge linking our city with the foreign business community."

Foreign Information Service

Business Beijing is a part of the city's foreign information service system designed to help the world acquire a better understanding of the Chinese capital. According to Wang, the service system expanded as the city opened wider to the outside world.

From 1979 to the end of the 1980s, Wang said, the service system concentrated on informing the world about China's long history and brilliant culture.

"That was necessary because for so many years, China had shut its doors to the world outside, and people knew little about the country or its capital. We tried to use Beijing's cultural heritage to help them build up an interest in China and in our city."

The second phase came in the 1990s with the development of Beijing's foreign information services. As China's opening developed in scope and depth, people outside China increasingly wanted to know more about Beijing.

"They wanted to know everything about Beijing, about its economic development, the lives of its people and, moreover, about business opportunities, whether real or potential, that could be found in the city. We would have failed to satisfy their interest in Beijing if our foreign information service continued to focus on the cultural aspect of the city only. That understanding prompted us to launch Business Beijing."

Beijing's success in 2001 in winning the 2008 Olympics turned out to be a "milestone" for the development of Beijing's foreign information service.

Wang said, "We have taken advantage of it to expand our foreign information services in all directions."

Instead of waiting for them to come on their own, as in the past, Beijing has invited foreign journalists to come and see for themselves what is happening in the city. The city is striving to increase its foreign cooperation and exchanges in all fields, whether in the fields of economics, trade, investment, culture, education. It has been keen to organize economic, trade, cultural, sports and academic gatherings with participants coming from all over the world, and many of them have become annual events. The mayor of Beijing often convenes a high-echelon international advisory council once every year.

"The council comprises the presidents and CEOs of 23 transnational corporations on the United States' Fortune magazine's list of the world's top 500," Wang said.

Beijing's foreign information service has begun "going global" by sending local artists to perform in foreign countries.

"During the China Culture Year in France that ended a few months ago," she said, "our artists caused a sensation, in fact a 'Beijing whirlwind,' in Paris with their performances."

Proposals for Improvements

Wang Hui says she is pleased to see that over the past ten years, Business Beijing has now built a "fairly big" contingent of loyal readers.

"I feel, the foreign business community in Beijing needs accurate, authoritative information released by publications like Business Beijing. The need will definitely grow in the years to come."

Wang said she hopes Business Beijing will strive to be more informative and reader friendly.

"This can be achieved by opening new columns in the magazine and on its Web site (www.btmbeijing.com). For examples, there should be a column for interaction between the editors and the readers. Also needed is a column that provides authoritative answers to questions and queries from readers."