The McGraw-Hill Companies Announces Plans to Expand Activities in China

BEIJING, May 18, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP) , today announced that the Corporation plans to expand its presence in China in key sectors of the economy. In making the announcement, Mr. McGraw emphasized the Corporation's strong commitment to the market and the contribution its businesses can make to China's ongoing economic transformation.

"China is a nation of tremendous progress and opportunity," Mr. McGraw said. "Our business is aligned to meet the needs for capital, knowledge and information transparency, which are drivers of economic success everywhere and vital to the continued development of China.

"The market reforms that have taken hold here have resulted in enormous progress. The McGraw-Hill Companies can support China's continuing economic transformation in financial services, where Standard & Poor's ratings, market indices and financial information will foster transparency to enhance the confidence of international investors in China's reform process; in education, where our offerings, particularly in higher education and English-language training, will strengthen the ability of Chinese workers and professionals to succeed in the global economy; and in energy, construction and other key industries, where our market-leading information franchises will play an important role supporting vital sectors of the Chinese economy."

Mr. McGraw discussed the Corporation's plans during a press conference May 18 at the St. Regis Hotel. He was joined at the media event by senior executives of Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek magazine and the Platts energy-information business.

The current activities and plans of The McGraw-Hill Companies in China were reviewed during the press conference. They include the following:

* Standard & Poor's currently rates the cross-border issues of the
sovereign, major banks and state-owned enterprises in China. Among its
other activities in the market, Standard & Poor's, in cooperation with
CITIC Securities, launched the S&P/CITIC China 50 and China 300 indices
in March 2004. These are the first indices to include China A Shares
that trade on both the Shanghai and Shenzen stock exchanges.

* McGraw-Hill Education opened an office in Beijing in 1999 focusing on
the higher education, professional, school and English-language
training markets, all areas of strength for the business. McGraw-Hill
Education established a strategic partnership in 2001 with the Chinese
Finance and Education Publishing House to focus on Chinese translations
of higher education products in engineering, science and mathematics.
Among McGraw-Hill Education's numerous initiatives is Olympic English,
an instructional book series developed for Chinese citizens in
preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games.

* Since 1986, BusinessWeek/China, a monthly Chinese-language edition of
BusinessWeek, has been published in collaboration with the China
Commerce and Trade Press, a division of the Ministry of Commerce.

* Platts is opening an office in Guangzhou later this year. Its price
assessments serve as globally accepted energy-price benchmarks and have
historically been used by the Chinese oil industry for its
international oil-trading activities.

* McGraw-Hill Construction sponsored a Global Construction Summit in
Beijing in April, in cooperation with the China International
Contractors Association, which was attended by 450 construction-
industry leaders. The construction information unit also has an
alliance with the China Building Standard Design and Research
Institute.


"The McGraw-Hill Companies, working with a host of Chinese partners, offers a broad array of capabilities in financial services, education and business information that aligns well with the needs of the Chinese market," Mr. McGraw said. "We believe in the future of China. We have much to offer in support of its continued progress, to the benefit of China and our Corporation."

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com. 

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Companies

Steven H. Weiss
Vice President, Corporate Communications
The McGraw-Hill Companies
(212) 512-2247 (office)
(917) 374-2024 (mobile)
(212) 580-2565 (home)
weissh@mcgraw-hill.com


http://www.mcgraw-hill.com