Chinese read at a book store in Beijing August 13, 2003. Foreign
companies are trying to get a foothold in the publication distribution
market as the retail sales of books, newspapers and magazines reached
over 150 billion yuan (US$18.12 billion) last year, with sales volume
growing at 12 per cent each year, industry experts said. China's book
retail market is mostly controlled by state-owned company Xinhua
Bookstore, while the newspaper and magazine distribution is almost
monopolised by the China Post Bureau. REUTERS/Wilson Chu

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