The Xinhua News Agency branch in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was formally set up at the Zhu Kuan Building in Macao January 18 afternoon.

Such news gathering work had been undertaken by the News Department of the Xinhua News Agency Macao Branch which actually was a working organ sent by the central people's government of China.

The latter was renamed the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR on Tuesday morning.

Chen Boliang, newly-appointed director of the Xinhua branch in the Macao SAR, said reporters of the news agency have been engaged in covering news events in Macao over the past 10-plus years and formed good relations with people of various walks of life in Macao.

Xinhua reporters have helped people around the world as well as those in the inland areas of China know better about Macao during its transitional period and its return to the motherland, Chen said.

He noted that the Xinhua News Agency is a national news agency in China and one of the leading news agencies in the world. It has branches in China's major cities and more than 100 branches overseas. (Xinhua)