Reuters is going to offer "fair, unbiased, responsible coverage" of the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games, the editor-in-chief of the wire service, David Schlesinger, said Monday.

Schlesinger, who will leave for Beijing Tuesday for a 15-day stay during the Beijing Olympics as an accredited journalist, will also attend the opening ceremony as the guest of Li Congjun, president of Xinhua News Agency.

"I'll meet Xinhua's new president during my stay in Beijing for constructive dialogue, in addition to meeting officials from the Information Office of the State Council as well as other friends," he said in a telephone interview with Xinhua.

Reuters was the first foreign news agency to set foot in China after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. It now has 24 correspondents stationed in the country with a much larger local support team working on the ground.

"It's definitely one of the biggest foreign media presences in China," said Schlesinger.

Reuters will dispatch a 200-strong team for the Beijing Olympics, with 100 text reporters and 80 photographers, as well as TV crews, technicians, logistics and other supporting teams, he added.

Like at all other previous Olympics, Reuters will not only focus on sports and the Games itself, but also report on the political, social and economic scene in China.

"We are interested in how China prepares for the Games, the facilities, how the city works during the Games, traffic and pollution, whether the stadiums are full, how athletes are made to feel welcome, media and visa regulations in the run-up to the Games, etc," Schlesinger explained.

"The Games are very important to China, as it's the first time that China is hosting the Olympics. Therefore there will be much attention from the west."

The Beijing Games are different from previous editions of the event, in view of China's rising economy and its size, which could be very "symbolic" for the world and attract many positive and negative stories from foreign media, he said.

Reuters, however, will not produce stories from first time impressions. Instead, it will provide insightful stories for its clients to understand the true situation in the country, Schlesinger pledged.

The Reuters head has had long-time contact with China since he made his first visit in 1979. He was posted in Beijing during 1991 and 1994 as a Reuters correspondent. Even now, he visits Beijing at least once a year.

For Reuters, "the biggest problem and challenge is to find reporters who understand both the language, culture and Chinese society," he said.

Cooperation between Reuters and Xinhua has been going on for 50 years, with traditional friendship and mutual understanding, Schlesinger said. Xinhua staff were also invited to join recently-held Reuters training courses.

Schlesinger said he believes that as the official news agency for the Olympic host country, Xinhua will do a good job during the Games.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)