HEFEI - Anhui province has launched its first, and currently the sole, English news portal, www.cnanhui.org, with a goal to "present Anhui to the world" by creating a new window to global web surfers. This is also China's first provincial-level English website.

Zang Shikai, the province's publicity chief who acts as a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Anhui Provincial Committee, unveiled the official launching Friday. The website mainly targets overseas Chinese, foreigners stationed in Anhui, as well as foreigners who want to get to know or invest in the East China province.

By focusing on information, services and interaction, the portal establishes five major channels: Anhui News, Travel Guide, About Anhui, Services and Hot Topics, said Sun Bangkun, editor-in-chief of www.anhuinews.com, which launched and will oversee the new website.

The channels cover more than 30 columns, including Invest in Anhui, Development Plan, Hui Culture and People, he said, adding that the site will help to improve the image of Anhui on the world stage, and they will try to make it the best provincial-level English website in China.

Wang Jiasi, Party secretary and president of Anhui Daily Newspaper Group, which administers www.anhuinews.com, said at the opening ceremony that as China's first provincial-level English website and a new window to let "the world get to know Anhui," www.cnanhui.org will use text, photos, audio and visual materials to provide net surfers with timely and all-around news reports and services.

The launching ceremony at Anhui Daily Newspaper Mansion was presided over by Zhang Zongliang, deputy director of the Publicity Department and director of the International Publicity Office of CPC Anhui Provincial Committee, who said he believed that as a new window to showcase Anhui's achievement in all spheres, the website will become better and better.

After starting its preparation on Oct 1, 2009, the new website completed its trial operation by early April by relying on the English-speaking staffers at www.anhuinews.com as well as the media resources of Anhui Daily Newspaper Group, which oversees a number of newspapers, magazines and websites.