Backgrounder: Xinhua's presence on global social media

Xinhua News Agency on Sunday launched its unified official account "New China" on three overseas social media platforms -- Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, releasing news 24 hours a day in English.

With the rise of social media across the world, Xinhua started its presence on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube at the end of 2013, expanding its influence with the help of the platforms and actively exploring the way to promote international communication.

As of January 2015, Xinhua opened a total of 30 accounts in different languages on the three platforms, of which the most influential are the official accounts on Twitter and Facebook, with 1.3 million and 740,000 followers respectively. These accounts have played a role in promoting understanding between China and the outside world.

However, the parallel operation of multiple accounts and the lack of overall planning at the initial stage made it difficult for Xinhua to catch up with the world's leading media.

Based on the original official accounts, Xinhua decided to pool its resources and operate only one account on each of the three platforms with a new brand "New China" ("Xinhua" literally means "New China" in Chinese) as from March 1, which marks a new phase for Xinhua's presence on global social media.

Xinhua plans to transform its official accounts into influential news distribution channels, turning them into a flagship of Chinese media on global social media.

Following the launch of the English accounts, Xinhua also plans to open accounts in other languages later.

Xinhua News Agency, founded in 1931, is China's national news agency as well as a global news and information provider.

Headquartered in Beijing, Xinhua has 31 domestic provincial bureaus and 180 branches overseas, which forms an extensive news gathering network that covers almost all corners of the globe. Endi