Exclusive - Beijing auditions foreign agencies to polish China brand

Workers paint a wall of a government building in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, March 26, 2016. REUTERS/Chance Chan/File Photo

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Five global public relations firms have made pitches to the Chinese government for a potential new campaign, four sources said, as Beijing tries to communicate more effectively with the West.

The competition by the leading Western PR companies comes amid intensifying scrutiny of Chinese companies abroad, a crackdown on dissent at home and rising tensions in the South China Sea.