Publicity departments nationwide should keep in line with the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in the new year, a senior CPC official said in Beijing on January 13.

Ding Guangen, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remark at a three-day national conference on publicity work which ended Tuesday.

Ding added that more positive publicity should be disseminated to promote reform and opening-up, maintain social stability, and inspire people's confidence in China's modernization efforts in the new century.

Ding said that publicity workers should study new situations and adhere to Marxism- Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory.

The conference concluded that outstanding achievements were made in publicity work last year, covering political struggles, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and Macao's return to China.