The furore was sparked when the book was published in China last year under the title Tintin in Chinese Tibet.

Tintin creator Herge, real name Georges Remi

The change from the original title, Tintin in Tibet, led to protests by the widow of Tintin's creator, Herge, which in turn led to the book being withdrawn from sale.

It was relaunched under its original title in Beijing on Wednesday - the 95th anniversary of Herge's birth - as part of a new Chinese-language Tintin collection.

The Belgian publisher, Casterman, says the earlier title change was made unilaterally by its Chinese partner, China Children's Publishing House.

Casterman's head of copyright, Willy Fadeur, said the publishing house was happy to restore the original title in the interests of authenticity.

Pirate editions

Pirated copies of Tintin books, printed in rough black and white, have been in circulation in China since the 1980s and have become collectors items.

The new editions are more closely modelled on the originals, using similar layout and style.

Tintin did go to China in The Blue Lotus, in 1936.

In that book, he battled with Japanese-funded opium smugglers, aided by a young Chinese called Chang.

Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy made their first appearance in 1929 as a comic strip in Belgian newspaper Le Petit Vingtieme.

Herge - whose real name was Georges Remi - launched Tintin into scores of adventures over the next 20 years.