The Guardian published today the first of planned daily Chinese language translations of several leading articles to coincide with the release of its China focused mini-site, reported www.pressgazette.co.uk.

The initiative aims to combine the Guardian's coverage of the nation with that of its Mandarin news partner, Beijing based Danwei. The site, http://guardian.yeeyan.com will offer video, audio and interactive guides produced by Beijing correspondent Tania Branigan, Asia environment correspondent Jon Watts and photographer Dan Chung. Articles will be translated and selected on the basis of their perceived interest to a Chinese readership by Yeeyan, an online network of volunteers.

The project serves to widen coverage of the rising superpower and reinforce the paper's strong tradition of interest in the region.

The paper said today "We will report on its politics, economy, social mores, imperilled environment and its changing place in the world and international relations - through the eyes of migrant workers, businesspeople, bloggers and officials."

In 2002, the Wall Street Journal launched its online Chinese language edition, http://chinese.wsj.com/gb/index.asp (CWSJ). The site covers the latest in international financial and business news, and was last year extended to include translations of popular WSJ blogs and columns covering a range of topics, such as careers, finance and health. Monthly page views, according to WSJ, exceed 16 million.

The advent of foreign language sections demonstrates the international reach and audience of online newspapers, confirming the globalizing effect of the Internet on access to information.

Source: Press Gazette