Danwei earlier noted a Xinhua report, titled Xinhua approves release of news by four overseas news agencies.

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency on Saturday authorized four overseas news agencies to release news and information in China after they passed an annual assessment, according to the Foreign Information Administration Center (FIAC) of Xinhua.

The four agencies are Reuters Asia/Pacific Limited, part of the Reuters Group, JiJi Press of Japan, ET Net Limited of Hong Kong and NNA China Limited, which is affiliated to iNews Net Asia based in Japan.

The FIAC carries out an annual assessment of the release of news and information by overseas news agencies or their subsidiaries, based on the Measures for Administering the Release of News and Information in China by Foreign News Agencies, before certifying them.

It was Xinhua's first review of overseas news agencies that release news and information in China since promulgating a set of measures last September.

Although the Xinhua article goes on to describe the new rules, that would require foreign news agencies to sell exclusively through agents owned by Xinhua themselves, the article does not say if there is any connection between the four approvals and the new rules. (See Danwei article for reactions in the Western media last September: Xinhua's new rules; foreigners' old complaints

A source familiar with the matter told Danwei that the article and the announcement of the approvals were most likely Xinhua propaganda, and that had been no new developments in enforcement or amendment of the September rules.

Moreover, this year marks the 50th anniversary of cooperation between Xinhua and Reuters, and both sides are gearing up for a hugfest. So perhaps this new article is just a gesture of friendliness, rather than a climb down, as earlier suggested on Danwei.