London's Financial Times Cites Chinese Official: Foreign Newspapers to Be Given Permission to Print in China

According to a report in the Financial Times (subscription required), Liu Binjie, deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, said that China "will allow foreign newspapers to come and print in China . . . but their newspapers still have to go through the procedures for an imported product." Liu's remarks were also reported in the China Daily and People's Daily.

Liu, who was once quoted by Chinese state run media as saying "Currently China is one of the world's countries richest in freedom of speech and freedom of publication. Those outside of China who make claims about China's news, expression, and press are completely without support," did not say when this policy change would take place. Currently, China's government prohibits any foreign publishers from publishing in China and restricts domestic newspaper publication through an extensive system of administrative prior restraints.