Li Changchun urges better economic news-reporting

Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun has urged the Economic Daily, a national newspaper, to reform and innovate its economic news-reporting.

Li, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the comments during his visit to the newspaper offices Saturday.

Li met with staff members and extended his best wishes to its journalists nationwide ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.

He called for efforts to build the Economic Daily into a high-level and authoritative newspaper on economic and financial issues. He also called on the newspaper to increase its international influence.

The publication should act as an important channel for the Party and government to deliver information about economic policies to citizens. It should also provide enterprises with economic information, as well as offer international audiences an insight into the Chinese economy and help the public better participate in economic life, Li said.

He also encouraged the newspaper to serve people better at grassroots levels.

For journalism, a proper standpoint should be its "spirit" while the media and methods should be the "body," Li said, calling on the publication to combine the efforts in promoting both sides.

As for the "spirit", Li told the newspaper to give more focus on scientific development and the transformation of the economic development pattern, on the reform and opening-up, and also on the socialist fundamental economic system as well as the socialist market economic system.

The newspaper should report more about the country's independent innovation efforts to encourage the public to make contributions in making China an innovative nation, according to Li.

In terms of the "body", the newspaper should improve its economic features, promote its economic information services, innovate in reporting and beef up the creation of emerging media platforms, in a bid to promote the newspaper's attraction and influence, he said.

He further encouraged the newspaper to make efforts to welcome the convention of CPC's 18th National Congress.

During his visit, Li inspected a news studio of the China Economic Net, a website proposed by Li in 2002 and sponsored by the Economic Daily newspaper.

He also visited the newspaper's chief editor's office and talked with the reporters and editors.

Moreover, Li attended a conference at the newspaper office and listened to the reports of the editorial board and the representatives of the reporters and editors.