A as part of its drive to open up and modernise the economy, China this week launched its first national Internet portal dedicated to economic news.

The task of setting up the portal was given to the Economic Daily, a major state-run economic newspaper. But unlike other state-owned electronic media such as Xinhuanet and People's Daily Online, China Economic Net aims to be more than just a provider of government information. The website – www.ce.cn – is available in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.