News Corp. Launches Web Site in China

News Corp. launched an Internet Web site for Chinese computer users, its first foray into China’s information industry. The Australian-based media company has invested about $3 million to set up ChinaByte, which will be run in a joint venture with a subsidiary of the People’s Daily newspaper, the premier mouthpiece of the Communist Party. News Corp. and the People’s Daily will split ownership of the venture, PDN Xinren. It has registered capital of $5.4 million. News Corp. has found it difficult to set up joint ventures in China after its chairman, media magnate Rupert Murdoch, incensed the Beijing leadership in 1993 by saying the Information Age “has proved an unambiguous threat to totalitarian regimes everywhere.” The Web site is at https://www.chinabyte.com