A subsidiary of China’s official Xinhua news agency has launched a national computer intranet designed to supply on-line companies with business and economic information and news. China Internet Corp has set up the China Wide Web, which will supply customers with custom home pages and provide news from international economic information providers such as Reuters Holdings Plc and Bloomberg Corp. The company is a Hong Kong-registered firm majority-owned by Xinhua. Hong Kong and overseas investors also had stakes in China Internet, officials said, though they gave no details. In January, Xinhua was appointed the government regulator for foreign suppliers of economic information; overseas customers would be able to access China Web, which would help introduce Chinese companies to potential investors or customers abroad, China Internet said. It declined to give details of total investment in China Web, which will enjoy free use of Xinhua’s communications network and would have links with the Internet.
