• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 2, 2007

The U.S. is getting its first print publication devoted exclusively to business with China. Titled China Trade, the magazine will cover the growing commercial connections between the two countries--worth $285 billion in 2006 alone. The monthly magazine, published by EastGate Media, LLC, is set to launch in March after almost two years of planning and preparation. With J.P. Faber at the helm as editor in chief and publisher, the mag will have an initial circulation of 88,000 and a newsstand price of $4.99. Of the initial circulation, 55,000 will be mailed directly to American and European corporations that do business in China.

On the cover of the first issue: Richard Wagoner, Jr., GM chairman and CEO, alongside the headline "GM Gets in Gear: How the world's biggest carmaker is winning share in China." China Trade was created by the founding publishers of other international business magazines, including Latin Trade Magazine, Latin CEO and South Florida CEO.

The new magazine will track key industries, and will analyze changes in the marketplace, including innovative new strategies. It will also profile successful companies and executives to convey valuable lessons about penetrating the Chinese market; monitor economic conditions as well as legal, regulatory and political issues; and review current offerings in art, music, travel, hotels, restaurants and entertainment.

China Trade hopes to attract advertisers from a variety of categories, including transportation and hospitality, shipping and logistics, financial services, telecom and IT, legal services, insurance, real estate, marketing and PR agencies.

CanWest Takes Control of The New Republic

CanWest, a Canadian publisher, has purchased a majority stake in The New Republic, the highbrow journal of politics, society and culture that is sometimes billed as "the in-flight magazine of Air Force One" (though probably not now). CanWest plans to relaunch the weekly as "the New Yorker of politics," according to its new editor Franklin Foer. The Web site and the magazine will both get a makeover.

USPS Introduces Deliver Web site

The U.S. Postal Service is launching delivermagazine.com, a Web site to accompany Deliver magazine, a custom publication targeting corporate-marketing professionals. The Web site will feature exclusive content, interactive tools and archived articles from the magazine.

Hearst Launches Free Weekly Mag in San Antonio

Hearst announced this week it's launching 210SA, a lifestyle publication targeting adults 18-39 with hip "urban attitude and next-generation editorial," according to editor Julie Ann Vera. Vera remarked: "It's an opportunity to reach out to young people and give them what they want: quick, current information about things they care about, like celebrity news, college information, movies, music, trends and the local nightlife."