Several British and US agencies were invited to interviews with Chinese officials to discuss a contract, which includes pre-games PR strategies, media training and market research on western perceptions of China. The winner has not yet been announced, said a person familiar with the discussions.

The initiative signals no change for the moment in China's Tibet policy, which appears to be entrenched by a tough line from the top. President Hu Jintao was once in charge of the Himalayan region.

The government has been angered by the international press coverage and global outcry over Tibet, believing that violent attacks on Han Chinese residents have been unfairly ignored.

The Chinese media and internet blogs have sharply criticised the "biased" western media in the past fortnight, a campaign that is already filtering into a more cautious attitude among some officials dealing with foreign journalists in China.

But the hiring of outside consultants may signal that the games are in danger of turning into a public relations disaster for the country and the ruling Communist party.

"This is a cry for help," said a Beijing-based PR executive. "They need to understand what people think of them and how they can effectively get their story into the media."

The new role would be much wider than an existing contract between Hill & Knowlton with the Beijing Organising Committee, which is overseeing the games.

Industry executives said the initiative was also separate from an invitation issued in Beijing several months ago by the State Council Information Office, a body under the cabinet, for pitches on how to brand China around the world.

An industry executive who spoke on condition of anonymity said hiring outside consultants would be a departure for the Chinese, who have previously kept all media relations in-house.

The sudden uprising in Tibet has tied the long-running issue to the games and its preparations, including the international leg of the Olympics torch relay, launched in Beijing this week.

China has pressed foreign governments that are hosting the torch, including the UK and France, to ensure that its passage is not marred by protests.

Separately, a Chinese court has sentenced a political activist to 3½ years in jail for "inciting state subversion" in a case that has become symbolic of a crackdown on dissidents ahead of the games.

The Beijing first intermediate people's court cited as evidence an interview with western media given by Hu Jia and articles published on overseas websites in which, it said, he "repeatedly instigated other people to subvert the Chinese political and socialist systems".