AOL Time Warner and the Chinese government have reached a landmark agreement on the broadcast of AOL's CETV cable network in China and of English-language Chinese news channel CCTV-9 in the United States.
This reciprocal transmission agreement marks the first time a foreign-owned cable network will be broadcast in mainland China, the Beijing government said Monday in a statement.
Under the terms of the agreement, CETV -- a Mandarin-language news and entertainment channel acquired by AOL in June 2000 -- will be offered to Chinese viewers in the south of the country from January 2002.
AOL Time Warner chairman Gerald Levin said the accord was "part of a sustained effort by our operating divisions to work with Chinese partners in creating products and services for this dynamic marketplace."
CCTV-9 will be broadcast on certain Time Warner cable channels, marking the first time a Chinese Central Television channel will be carried on a 24-hour basis on any US cable system.
Xu Guang Chun, director of China's state Administration of Radio, Film and Television hailed the accord as the first Sino-US cooperative agreement reached since the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shanghai last weekend.
"It is a concrete action, which echoes the spirit of APEC and is firmly supported by all parties involved," Xu said. "This significant step also serves as a starting point towards developing further cooperation in the future."
(China Daily October 22, 2001)
