SINGAPORE, November 20th - Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore's leading Chinese daily, will gain a new group of overseas readers from January next year.

In the first collaboration of its kind for a Singapore newspaper, it has tied up with the prestigious Cankao Xiaoxi (Reference News), which will carry a weekly selection of Lianhe Zaobao business stories in its Shanghai edition.

One of the most authoritative and influential newspapers in China, Cankao Xiaoxi is owned by the official Xinhua News Agency and is widely read by officials, businessmen, professionals, state cadres and intellectuals. Its nation-wide circulation is more than three million copies daily, with its Shanghai edition hitting about 200,000 daily.

Lianhe Zaobao, the Chinese flagship daily of listed media group Singapore Press Holdings, has a daily circulation of about 190,000 while its on-line edition Zaobao.com enjoys an average 1.5 million page views daily.

The two newspapers signed a cooperation agreement in Shanghai in September.

Under the agreement, the Shanghai edition of Cankao Xiaoxi will publish business news reports drawn from Lianhe Zaobao on two facing pages every Tuesday, under the heading "Business News'' and carry this credit "from Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore''.

Mr Chew Keng Juea, Senior Executive Vice-President of SPH (Chinese Newspapers and Newspaper Services Divisions), who signed the agreement with Mr Yan Weimin, Chief Editor of the Shanghai edition of Cankao Xiaoxi, said: "This collaboration is unprecedented as no major Chinese newspaper has ever entered into a content sharing agreement with a foreign daily.

"It's a win-win situation for both sides. It will give Cankao Xiaoxi an additional and regular source of foreign business news. As for Lianhe Zaobao, the tie-up means establishing a foothold in the enormous newspaper market in China.''

Also present at the signing ceremony in September was Mr Loo Chin Wah, Deputy Consul-General of Singapore in Shanghai.

Issued by the Singapore Press Holdings

For more information, please contact:

Irene Ngoo
Assistant Vice President
Corporate Relations
Tel: 63191216
Fax: 63198150
Email: ingoo@sph.com.sg

Main board listed Singapore Press Holdings Limited is the leading news and
information provider, offering quality content for print, Internet, TV and
radio. It is licensed to publish 15 newspapers in the four official
languages and six lifestyle periodicals. Everyday, 2.78 million
individuals, or 90 per cent of people above 15 years old, read one of 15
newspapers published by SPH while online publication of its six main
dailies enjoy some 120 million pageviews a month. SPH has ventured into the
broadcast medium and operates two popular free-to-air TV channels, Channel
U in Chinese and Channel i in English.