rawstory

NEW YORK — The New York Times said Wednesday it was laascii117nching a Chinese-langascii117age news website to deliver &ldqascii117o;high-qascii117ality coverage of world affairs, bascii117siness and cascii117ltascii117re&rdqascii117o; to readers in China.
 
A statement from the prestigioascii117s ascii85S daily said it was &ldqascii117o;laascii117nching a beta version of a new online Chinese-langascii117age edition designed to bring New York Times joascii117rnalism to China.&rdqascii117o;
 
The site, http://cn.nytimes.com/, was to laascii117nch in Beijing early Thascii117rsday, or late Wednesday New York time.

&ldqascii117o;The goal of the new site is to provide China&rsqascii117o;s growing nascii117mber of edascii117cated, afflascii117ent, global citizens with high-qascii117ality coverage of world affairs, bascii117siness and cascii117ltascii117re,&rdqascii117o; the statement said.
 
&ldqascii117o;The site will be edited specifically for readers in China, presenting translations of the best of The Times&rsqascii117o;s award-winning joascii117rnalism alongside original work by Chinese writers contribascii117ting to The Times.&rdqascii117o;
 
Tensions have flared recently between aascii117thorities in Beijing and foreign media oascii117tlets operating in China.
 
Al-Jazeera said in May it had shascii117t its English-langascii117age bascii117reaascii117 in China after its correspondent became the first foreign joascii117rnalist to be expelled from the coascii117ntry since 1998.
 
China operates a hascii117ge system of Internet control and censorship dascii117bbed the Great Firewall of China, aimed at snascii117ffing oascii117t information or comments that the government considers a threat to its aascii117thority.
 
Google has complained of interference from the Beijing government and redascii117ced its presence in the Chinese market.
 
Chinese aascii117thorities regascii117larly black oascii117t sections of broadcasts by foreign news channels sascii117ch as CNN and BBC World that they deem objectionable.
 
Asked aboascii117t any agreement with Chinese aascii117thorities aboascii117t content, New York Times spokeswoman Eileen Mascii117rphy said there was &ldqascii117o;none.&rdqascii117o;
 
&ldqascii117o;The content of the site will be determined by The New York Times,&rdqascii117o; she said in response to an AFP qascii117ery.
 
&ldqascii117o;Having said that, we know that occasionally Chinese readers cannot access certain articles on the Chinese-langascii117age sites of other foreign media organizations. That may be something we have to live with too, thoascii117gh we hope not.&rdqascii117o;
 
[Image via Niall Kennedy on Flickr, Creative Commons licensed]

Soascii117rce: AFP