CNN to debut monthly show about China

The first regular program about China among international television news networks will be launched by CNN on Wednesday, weeks before the country's once-in-a-decade leadership change. 

The new monthly show On China will be hosted by CNN correspondent and anchor Kristie Lu Stout. During each 30-minute show, she will sit down with "business leaders from within China's borders for a round-table discussion about what really drives this world power and economic giant", CNN said in an online article on Tuesday.

"China is a country of dramatic change, political intrigue and dynamic economic growth," said Lu Stout, who has been writing and reporting about China since the late 1990s. "The nation continues to fascinate me. I'm excited to host a regular discussion on current affairs and trends inside China."

The move is an effort to meet the soaring demand for news on China, which has become one of the key players in the international community, analysts said.

Whether the program, which will be shot in Hong Kong, can be neutral toward China and efficient in promoting worldwide understanding about the country remains to be seen, they said. 

"The world is watching China more than ever, and our new show delivers in-depth, intelligent insights on its economic, political and cultural drivers," said Mike McCarthy, senior vice-president of CNN International.

"We're proud to be the first international news network to dedicate a regular show to China, enabling viewers within China's borders and around the world to better understand the country and its people."

With the leadership transition after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China starting from Nov 8, the first episode delves into the CPC operation and the personality traits of China's next leader, according to CNN. 

Helping to introduce the CPC is Hung Huang, a celebrated Chinese media personality and publisher brought up among China's political elite, Victor Gao, a former official in the Chinese Foreign Ministry and English translator for Deng Xiaoping, and John Pomfret, an award-winning journalist and China commentator.

It is not surprising that top media like CNN want to pay more attention to China, whose moves in the fields of the economy, politics, security and culture have a significant effect on the regional and global situation, said Sun Yingchun, a professor at the Institute of Communication Studies under Communication University of China.

China took up about 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product and contributed more than one-fifth of global growth last year. But the second-largest economy also faces pressure from downward growth amid the global recession, and it is also expected to play a bigger role in international affairs including the Syria conflict and Northeast Asian security. 

US media tend to seize the saying power about China before their counterparts, said Xu Qinyuan, a colleague of Sun. "CNN can hardly be an exception."

To give an objective picture of China, the program should get rid of the Western media's traditionally prejudiced opinions toward China, as well as be comprehensive in it's selection of topics and guests, Sun said.

"This is also for the good of the program's vitality and credibility," he added.