CHINA'S XINHUA NEWS AGENCY TO SET UP REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN KL

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (Bernama) -- China's Xinhua News Agency has agreed to
set up its regional headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Najib Razak
said Tuesday.

He said the move would be very positive for Malaysia.

"Met with Xinhua News agency of China. They have agreed to have their
Regional HQ in KL. This will be very positive for Malaysia," Najib said in his
tweet Tuesday.

The prime minister met the news agency's representative on the sidelines of
the Invest Malaysia 2011 conference here Tuesday.

Later, Malaysia Industrial Development Authority (Mida) director-general
Jalilah Baba told reporters that the news agency would also partner a
local college in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan state to establish a training programme
for journalists specialising in Mandarin.

However, she did not provide a time-frame and investment figure as
negotiations were still ongoing in the venture.

"All news in the country will be supplied through Xinhua to reach out to the
Mandarin speaking community worldwide, especially in China," she said.

The official press agency of China, Xinhua, which has a correspondent in
Malaysia, currently is an authoritative source for daily reports on Chinese
life now changing in the drive towards modernisation.

Xinhua, established in 1931, has more than 100 bureaux worldwide, and churns
out news in six languages: Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and
Arabic.