Sino Publication Audit Center (SPAC) released its first circulation figures report on December 20, according to that day's People's Daily, in an attempt to provide more accurate data.

It was an audit of the distribution of Driver's News from May to October this year, and said its average weekly circulation was 619,281. The report gave breakdowns by methods of circulation such as retail sales, subscriptions and free distribution by publishers.

SPAC was established in Beijing on April 25, appointed to audit and publicize circulation figures for Chinese publications and aiming to counter a tendency for publishers to inflate them.

People's Daily said there have been more than 100 applications made to the SPAC for audits since then.

Such institutions already exist in more than 170 countries, but until now Chinese publishers have produced their own figures.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua, December 25, 2005)