APP, China Daily Website sign news cooperation agreement

ISLAMABAD - The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and China Daily Website have signed an supplementary agreement to further enhance collaboration in news exchange and provide access to information for extensive coverage of events in both Pakistan and China.

The agreement was signed by Masood Malik, APP Managing Director, and Lychee Li, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Daily Website, at APP Headquarters, on the sidelines of two-day International Conference of News Agencies in connection with Pakistan's 70th Anniversary of Independence.

APP is a corporate body, working under administrative and financial control of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting while China Daily Website is a legal entity, incorporated in accordance with the laws in China.

Under the agreement signed Saturday night, the parties agreed to a procedure for providing access to their information. China Daily Website, within two weeks of signing of the supplementary agreement, shall provide APP with access to the special area on its homepage by providing an individual login and password.

Both the sides agreed to share news to a certain extent and ensure access to information as and when required by the parties. A special area shall be set on the bottom section of China Daily Website's homepage, below the section of "Media Partner" with the logo and three articles from APP.

The parties agreed that the total number of times information could be accessed would be three per day updates.

The special area shall be set no lower than the second screen page on APP's homepage, while parties could negotiate and discuss the contents which one party provided, and one party has the right to decide whether to use the other party's contents or not, provided that the contents do not violate the existing laws and regulations.

The parties agreed to protect content from accidental loss or theft and such attempt by the third party would immediately be reported and measures would be taken for avoiding any theft attempt in future.

Under the agreement, any party had the authority to choose which news to update and promote on the cooperated area.

APP Managing Director Masood Malik termed the supplementary agreement another step forward towards broadening APP's scope and ensure dissemination of its news to readers in China and elsewhere.

He reiterated the resolve to further enhance capacity and capability of the news agency by entering into agreements with national news agencies of other countries, to widen the scope of its news coverage.

More agreements were expected to be signed on the sidelines of the international conference.

Associated Press of Pakistan