President Xi congratulates media group

China Daily, founded in 1981, is the country's first national English-language newspaper with a global circulation.

The past 40 years have seen it developing into a globalized, multilanguage, all-media flagship combining newspapers, websites and apps, and it now serves more than 350 million readers all over the world via various print and digital platforms.

Media executives, staffers and leading scholars have hailed Xi's letter as a fresh, inspiring guide at a time when the country's media workers strive to make their reporting and the nation's pursuit of peaceful development better heard by print and online readers worldwide.

Zhou Shuchun, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, said Xi's letter marks "a historic moment and a highlight" in the media group's history, inspires and motivates all staff members, and demonstrates the great emphasis placed on international communication and reporting for the outside world.

"The letter makes clear China Daily's mission and tasks as well as the goals for improving its international communication capacity in the new era," he said.

"China Daily will fully, tangibly translate into reality Xi's instructions, work with a greater sense of responsibility and strive to break new ground in its capacity building and global operations," Zhou added.