Chinese news is becoming a major incentive for overseas newspapers to engage in self-renovation as China is actively integrating with the whole world, a renowned Singaporean newspaper chief has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Lim Jim Koon, the editor of Singapore's leading Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao (Zaobao), said China has eradicated widespread poverty and developed into an economic and political power with worldwide influence and it is honorable for Zaobao reporters to witness the tremendous changes taking place in China.

Being the first overseas Chinese newspaper circulated in China since 1993, Zaobao has sensed that news on China are hot topics, Lim said before the World Media Summit held in Beijing on Oct. 8-10.

"The word 'China' itself has become a fashion!" he commented.

Lim's newspaper has introduced a special column named "Zaobao China" in 2003, which gives extensive coverage on political, economic and social news in China, making Chinese news more eye-catching in the paper.

Speaking on China's progress, especially since 1978, Lim said that there have been too many positive changes.

To just name a few, he said that since the 2003 SARS outbreak, China has made notable improvements in terms of transparency, which have contributed to the timely and effective handling of theA/H1N1 flu pandemics this year.

Lim also spoke highly of China's openness and cooperative attitude toward foreign press in recent years. He said that the Chinese authorities have become more flexible and open, and have increased the capability to provide useful services to the foreign press.

"Sometimes the authority actively engages with foreign media and asks for their needs. This shows the increasing confidence of an open China," he said.

He recalled that after the Tibet riot in March last year, the Chinese government organized foreign media to go to Tibet to see what was happening there and tell the stories themselves. Reporters from Zaobao were among the first group of foreign journalists reached Tibet after the incident.

"We will continue to enhance the depth and range of our coverage on China and to further increase the influence of our reporting, analysis and comment," he said.

On the trends of media development, Lim said that the new media have brought great challenges to traditional media patterns, including newspapers and broadcasters, resulting in a sharp decline in circulation, audience rating and advertisements for traditional media.

The current economic crisis has also severely dragged down the development of media, especially western media. However, China's economy is still growing at a steady pace, and China's media sector is also flourishing on all fronts, he added.

He said that China's strong economy has nourished its media sector, and the traditional media in the country are exploring new developing areas and growing well.

"China is the biggest media-consumer market in the world. China's media sector has surpassed its counterpart in the United States in terms of total outputs, but China's per capita media consumption still lags behind that of the United States and other developed countries," Lim said

This actually shows the potential of China's media sector. As some of the western media are withdrawing from the international stage, Chinese media will have more developing opportunities.

The World Media Summit, themed "Cooperation, Action, Win-Win and Development", is attended by the leaders of major media organizations, including news agencies, newspapers and magazines, radio and television broadcasters and online sites.

Participants, from overseas and China, analyze the current situation, assess the development trends of the global media industry on a series of crucial issues confronting media organizations against the backdrop of the international financial crisis, fast changing audience demands and the rapid advancement of emerging technologies.