BEIJING, July 16 -- China's Xinhua News Agency launched a new line of information products on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, drawing attention and winning applause from international experts and officials.

The new "Xinhua Silk Road" products aim to provide a platform for commodity trade and investment cooperation among governments and companies in countries along the Belt and Road, Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao said at the launching ceremony on Thursday.

The launch of the new products is welcomed by experts and officials from countries along the Belt and Road, who highlighted the huge demand of information and commended Xinhua for its effort.

"We are very delighted to learn Xinhua announced to provide information products on Belt and Road to Russian society," said Gregory Trofimchuk, head of the political consulting department of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Ample information on the Silk Road Economic Belt has been available at the political level, the Russian society has been very familiar with the initiative, but for Russian businessmen and companies involved in specific projects, the situation is the opposite, Trofimchuk said.

The need for information is also seen in other countries along the Belt and Road initiative.

Lim Heng Ee, vice president of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce, said various sectors in Malaysia desperately need specific information and data regarding the initiative, judging from the situation on numerous related seminars.

Lim expects "Xinhua Silk Road" products to offer comprehensive information and promote cooperation between Malaysia and China under the initiative.

Zhu Guangyao, the economic and commercial counsellor of the Chinese embassy to Turkey, said Xinhua's effort to provide "Xinhua Silk Road" products is rather meaningful, noting that the current data collecting method in Turkey, different from that in China, is flawed, while China's Ministry of Commerce does not record complete information on key economic indicators such as foreign investment.

Given its massive reporting scale and reliability, Xinhua's products could provide strong data support for economic decision-making, Zhu said, suggesting Xinhua offer comprehensive and also targeted information.

Zhu's suggestion is echoed by Trofimchuk, who proposed different information and categorized services for various companies in different fields.

Aman Ullah Khan, chairman of the Pakistan-China Business & Investment Promotion Council, said that Xinhua, as a big and responsible media group, has taken a very right initiative to start such products.

Noting that Xinhua knows the Chinese policies and Belt and Road project much better than other media groups in the region, he said he expects Xinhua will give accurate, timely, reliable, useful information about the project, and Xinhua's products will become a symbol of trust in connection with the Belt and Road, avoiding misconceptions and misunderstanding among stakeholders.

"Xinhua Silk Road" products involve information collection, publication, information screening and customized services, as well as a business connection platform as an overall business information solution to investors in the Belt and Road initiative.

The Internet-based package, available in Chinese and English, has four major components: the Silk Road Database, Xinhua Credit Reports, Consulting and Think Tank Services and a "business match-making" instant messaging system.