The Zhejiang International Communication Center was officially inaugurated on May 31 in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province.

The unveiling ceremony of Zhejiang International Communication Center was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, on May 31. [Photo by Wei Zhiyang/Tide News]

Officials, university scholars, international organizations and delegates of media groups home and abroad attended the unveiling ceremony.

Former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, former Chilean president Eduardo Frei and former Russian ambassador to China Andrey Ivanovich Denisov delivered congratulatory messages in which they expressed expectations of the center becoming a bridge between Zhejiang and the world.

The center, a platform to connect Zhejiang with the world, aims to shore up international communication by emerging resources at provincial, municipal and county levels, cooperating with mainstream overseas media, cultivating all-around international communication talents and producing high-quality content that can be influential both home and abroad.

It has established an all-in-one communication platform of "websites + news channels + overseas social media matrix" that covers over 50 million TV users and 8 million social media followers.

Zhejiang International Communication Center is officially unveiled on May 31 in Hangzhou. [Photo by Wei Zhiyang/Tide News]

"Over twenty years have passed since my arrival in China, and I still feel honored to have been witness to the growth and development here around me," said Ash Sutcliffe, global PR director of Geely Holdings, who shared his stories with China and Zhejiang during the ceremony.

Sutcliffe, together with 11 other foreigners from different walks of life, were appointed as global ambassadors of Chinese culture on the same day.

Zhejiang Daily Press Group, where the center is based, will leverage its advantages and integrate the province's international publicity resources to build the center into a leading platform for international communication with extensive influence at home and abroad, said Jiang Jun, publisher and Party secretary of Zhejiang Daily Press Group.

During the ceremony, the center signed strategic cooperation framework agreements with news media groups, international communication groups, high schools and think tanks, to boost international communication.

Four international communication campaigns were launched during the ceremony. [Photo by Wei Zhiyang/Tide News]

Four international communication campaigns, including three news projects and one short video contest, were launched during the ceremony to better share China's stories with the world.