China Launches 24-Hour English News Channel

The Chinese Communist Party's take on world events is now available in English, 24 hours a day. Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, announced the launch of news channel CNC World yesterday, promising to "present an international vision with a Chinese perspective." Xinhau—as part of a major push into Western media—plans to move its New York offices to a prominent Times Square location, the New York Times reports. It aims to reach 50 million viewers in the West its first year.

China is spending billions of dollars to fuel its expansion into foreign media and promote its viewpoint, but analysts say the Chinese's government's big ambitions are unlikely to be matched with big audiences. CNC World looks pretty dreary even in comparison to other Chinese news stations, the Guardian notes, and despite the channel's pledge to be objective, its pro-Beijing agenda was far from subtle.
(More CNC World stories.)