On 17 July，2008, Ambassador Fu Ying met with News Corporation Chairman and CEO for Asia and Europe James Murdoch, accompanied by the Times Editor James Harding.

James Murdoch said, this summer belongs to China and the whole world will turn to Beijing Olympics. This will be an important opportunity for China to present its good image to the world. In the run-up to the games, the media may be a little more critical. This was true in the Olympic Games in the past. Today China is also faced with tests and challenges. Once the games start, the media will then turn to sport events. I am sure the Beijing Olympics will be a spectacular event, and the whole world will join China in the celebration. Agencies under News Corporation will send experienced journalists to cover the games and will try to read changes in the political, economic, social and cultural spectra in all aspects and perspectives.

Western media, said Murdoch, is liable to run negative stories. Reports lose some balance, but they have no intention of blocking China’s development. On the other hand, China may need to come to understand that western media are a diversified group and run in a way that is different from that of China. It may take a while to close the gap in perception between the two.

Ambassador Fu responded by saying that people across China are looking forward to the Olympics in Beijing and are preparing actively to receive guests from every corner of the world in the hope of playing a good host. China will honour its commitment and provide convenience to foreign journalists. At the same time we hope the media will present a true China to the world. The government respects the right of the pubic to information and is not afraid at all report of problems in China. In fact, the Chinese leadership engages in resolving the problems. On the other hand, if some western media choose to play up with negative reports and make ill-intentioned comments in an attempt to throw mud at China, that will not only leave the Chinese people hurt but also tarnish their own image and credibility.

In the past three decades, Ambassador Fu remarked, there has been a drastic change in the relations between China and the rest of the world, during which time people have become more open-minded in thinking. China is seriously thinking on how to deal with the media in the west. The western media also need to understand better circumstances in China. In an information and globalization era, more and more Chinese are reading carefully China-related reports by western media. Foreign journalists should not only be accountable to readers in their own countries, but also need to consider the possible feelings of the public in China. She expressed the hope that the forthcoming Beijing Olympics will be an opportunity to improve relations between China and the world.

James Murdoch said News Corporation is expanding its business in China and has forged ever-deepening ties with China. The group is interested in China’s growth and progress, and is willing to work for better understanding between China and the rest of the world.

News Corporation is one of the largest media corporations in the world, 30% of whose shares are controlled by Murdoch. News Corporation media in UK include The Thames, The Sunday Thames, The Sun, World News Report and BSKYB.