Fortune China, a book on the 2005 FORTUNE Global Forum, was released on Friday by China Daily in ceremonies at the press conference hall in the State Council Information Office (SCIO) in Beijing.

The book, which so far is the only one of its kind to gain recognition from the SCIO and Time Warner Inc, offers authoritative and first-hand information on the Forum, which was held two months ago in Beijing with 27 senior government officials, 76 CEOs from Fortune 500 companies and 847 Chinese and foreign guests attending.

Divided into five parts by five themes, it records speeches, lectures and dialogue by guests during 30 meetings. It contains about 200,000 words and hundreds of pictures and is accompanied by more than 30 pages of color inserts.

SCIO Minister Zhao Qizheng spoke highly of the book at the release ceremony.

"It's a well-timed book, and a truthful and complete record of the Forum," Zhao said. "Though the Forum has been closed for two months, issues discussed there remain hot. This book will maintain and expand the influence of the Forum."

According to Zhao, the book will be distributed nationwide, and readers in Taiwan and Hong Kong will have the book in the original form in a few days.

"We're also considering having an English version," Zhao said.

Zhu Ling, editor-in-chief of China Daily, and Hugh Stephens, senior vice-president of the International Relations and Public Policy (Asia Pacific) of Time Warner Inc, presented copies to some representatives of Global 500 enterprises who attended the ceremony.

"We have developed strong partnerships in China, including with China Daily," Stephens said. "This book proves once more that strong partnerships bring excellent results."

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2005)