Publishing alliance for second run at China

Reed Elsevier, the Anglo-Dutch trade publisher, is joining forces with rival International Data Group (IDG) to help it get a foothold in mainland publishing after failing to make any headway in 15 years. The 50:50 joint-venture has plans to migrate 16 Reed titles covering construction, electronics and other topics in 2005. Reed said China was a vital market, given the mainland is projected to become the world's second largest economy in as little as four years. Other projections say 11 years. One of Reed's more recent reorganizations shuttered Hong Kong editorial operations in favor of consolidating in Singapore.