Representatives from the Information Office of the State Council, Press and Publication Administration of China, Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily and Chinese Central Television attended the event featuring discussions on China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and innovation in media industry.

International media giants including Vivendi Universal, Bertelsmann, News Corp. and Turner Broadcasting System were also invited to the three-day forum.

The forum has scheduled opportunities for participants to exchange views about the new model for development of Chinese media after the nation's WTO entry.

Statistics show that the advertisement income of newspapers, magazines, TV and broadcasting in China grew by an average annual rate of 43 percent between 1990 and 1997.

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2002)