Xinhua, China's official news agency, will launch an English-language television news programme this week on screens in supermarkets and outside Chinese embassies in Europe, in a cautious first step towards spreading Beijing's view of the world to western audiences.
The move, planned for Wednesday, comes six months after the Chinese government launched a plan to improve its global image through English- language television news channels to be built by trusted state-owned media.
It highlights how daunting a challenge it is for media organisations that function mainly as propaganda outlets to compete with experienced commercial western groups in wooing a global audience.