Jan. 4 – The China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC) began broadcasting to the Asia-Pacific region and some European countries last Friday from Beijing.

The network’s 24 hour broadcast will feature programs in Chinese including news events, special news bulletins along with a new CNC Finance and Business channel.

Television programs in English and other languages like French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian are slated for broadcast in July.

CNC will be managed by the Xinhua News Agency, the official agency of the Chinese government with ambitions to expand its reach beyond the mainland to become a multi-media global news agency.

“Xinhua’s expanding multi-media services make it possible to set up a TV network,” Xinhua President Li Congjun said during the launch of the network in Beijing. “We will make efforts to expand both domestic and overseas services using all kinds of networks and media including overseas TV channels, the Internet, mobile phones and LED screens.”