国内英语新闻:Xinhua officially launches global social media presence

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency officially unveiled its global social media presence on Sunday, after rebranding its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts under the unified name "New China."

From today, following a year of testing, Xinhua will share China and world news around the clock on its social media accounts. Content will also include Xinhua photographs and videos.

The social media drive was launched in response to a wider global trend of media transformation.

Xinhua will use these online channels to better communicate the voices of China, while establishing the agency as a figurehead that can respond to the concerns of the international community, a high-level Xinhua executive said.

The three accounts carry the new branding "NC," which stands for "New China." The logo's "N" takes the form of a pen, representing the innovation of the media, while the "C" is shaped like an olive branch, expressing vigor and hope. The two intertwined letters are reminiscent of a belt, alluding to the news agency's role as a conduit of ideas that bring China and the world together.

As a global media organization, Xinhua must not only develop its traditional business, but also build an "online news agency" to enhance its influence through new media, the executive said.

Xinhua's global social media accounts are managed by a specialized team of about 100 journalists and editors, who were hand picked from Xinhua's departments at the organization's headquarters and bureaus across the world.

Xinhua is China's official press agency and a global news provider. Headquartered in Beijing, it maintains 31 domestic provincial bureaus and operates about 180 overseas bureaus. Xinhua has built news gathering network across the world.