Many of the foreign participants of the 2004 Beijing International Publishing Forum, held Tuesday and Wednesday, expressed their desire to further tap the Chinese market.

Marjorie Scardino, CEO of Pearson Plc, said the publishing and media group would further increase input in the Chinese market, especially in the fields of compiling teaching materials for higher education and on-line teaching materials for China.

She said China is a major driving force in the global commodities market, and the publishing world is no exception.

Gerald de Roquemaurel, chairman, president and CEO of Hachette Press Group, said besides providing content to Chinese fashion andentertainment magazines, which it does now, the group is ready to consider proposals on providing content to Chinese magazines on movies, men's interest and other areas.

A Chinese analyst said the huge potential of the Chinese publishing market has strong appeal to foreign publishers.

"China, with a population of 1.3 billion, is experiencing rapid economic development and rapid growth in education. This means China's vast market potential will soon be realized," acknowledgedthe analyst. "In contrast, the markets in many developed countrieshave become saturated. That's why foreign publishers are anxious to set foot in this market."

Market size aside, China's efforts to reform and open up the publishing sector also help the entrance of foreign publishers.

Liu Binjie, deputy director general of the State Press and Publication Administration (SPPA), said at the forum that China ispressing ahead with a major reshuffle of the publishing sector. Asa result, the sector will become more open and free from regional protectionism.

In compliance with its commitments to the WTO, China has openedthe retail publications business to foreign investors and will open the wholesale sector by the end of the year. Foreign publishers have been allowed to co-publish books with Chinese publishers and provide content to certain kinds of magazines.

Zhai Rukang, deputy secretary-general of China Periodicals Association, said the entrance of foreign publishers have posed challenges as well as opportunities for their Chinese counterparts.

"The magazines that receive content from foreign publishers aredoing just fine, both in terms of the quality of these magazines and their roles on the market," he said.

Most Chinese publishers hold that just as sectors that opened up earlier have done, the modernization of China's publishing sector will accelerate from interaction with their foreign counterparts.

Source: Xinhua