Editor of influential China magazine resigns

BEIJING (AFP) – The founder and managing editor of one of China's most influential publications has resigned -- the latest twist in a battle for control of a magazine known for its daring investigative reports.

The departure of Hu Shuli from Caijing magazine comes a month after general manager Wu Chuanhui and 60-70 staff stepped down, and amid intense speculation that Hu was battling management efforts to silence her editorial team.

"Hu Shuli has submitted her resignation letter," the magazine's spokeswoman Heidi Zhang told AFP, noting that while the resignation was effective immediately, the transition period could last as long as one month.

"The SEEC (Stock Exchange Executive Council) has accepted it and would like to express its gratitude for Shuli's contribution."

Zhang said Tuesday that Hu had told her she had accepted a position as head of the School of Communication and Design at Sun Yat-sen University, based in southern Guangzhou.

The SEEC, which owns and publishes Caijing, is a state-supported consortium of non-bank financial institutions.

Widespread reports have said the SEEC was trying to wrest power away from Hu, who is widely credited with making Caijing perhaps China's most respected publication since she launched it in 1998.

In a country where the media is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party, Caijing has pushed the limits, crossing the relatively safe lines of business journalism to publish exposes on corruption and health scares.

One Caijing staff member told AFP last month it was common knowledge at the magazine that Hu has been fighting off SEEC pressure to soften its reporting, especially after deadly ethnic unrest in China's Xinjiang region in July.

The staffer said the SEEC wanted Hu's editorial team to restrain its reporting and "to focus more on finance and the economy, and leave politics more on the side. That is not what (Hu) wants."

"Since July 5, the conflict has increased," said the staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The employee added that a tussle also has raged over control of advertising revenues, with Hu seeking a greater share for editorial operations.

The staff member said Hu commanded the loyalty of the editorial staff.

"For the moment, the managing editor has not resigned. All eyes are on her -- if she leaves, most people will probably leave with her," the staffer said.

Caijing -- which is published twice a month -- has a circulation of 225,000, according to the China Daily.