Wang Gengnian, Director-General of China Radio International, has delivered his annual New Year speech and extended his wishes to listeners and netizens. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Dear listeners and netizens,

The New Year's bell is about to ring and 2012 will soon begin. I would like to express best wishes to all of you on behalf of the staff of China Radio International and China International Broadcasting Network. May you have peace and happiness and stay safe and healthy!

It was not too long ago that CRI held grand celebrations for our 70th anniversary, inviting distinguished guests, including 20 listeners, to Beijing. During that special moment, our listeners worldwide sent their good wishes and encouragement, which warmed our hearts and gave us many pleasant surprises. Our Jordanian listener, Ziad Salem Ajili said that reviewing the history of CRI over the past 70 years reminded us of the history of new China. "You observe an objective principle in making reports, give respect to opinions from all sides, as well as show respect to human cultural heritage. It has been factually proven that CRI reflects the true situation in China, having set up a sturdy bridge for communication between the Chinese and other peoples via a multi-media and multi-language platform."

Dear friends, with your encouragement and wishes, we have gained an endless source of inspiration to move forward. The great support given by our listeners worldwide has nurtured CRI in its growth over the past 70 years. Here, I would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to our friends all over the world.

In 2011, China continued its relatively rapid economic growth despite pressure from the global recession, and it sought a more healthy development format. On the international stage, China has displayed its charm in being a responsible big nation. A broad-minded vision has been necessary as we come to the center of world stage. We've inscribed "China Perspective, World Vision and Human Values" on a large board inside CRI's office building and will bear this slogan in mind as our broadcasting mission.

China's development has aroused world attention, and all other countries feel a need to understand more about China. So we will introduce China with a most effective approach. During 2011, CRI made constant progress, witnessing the rocketing growth of new media and expanding its overseas broadcast platform. We believe there is not much distance between China and the rest of the world. The launch of China International Broadcasting Network at the start of 2011 marked the apex of CRI's 70 years of fully stepping into a new media era. The CIBN website, which is still under construction, and the T-D TV website, launched last month, will present a grand feast for audiences' eyes. We share the belief that China is not far away, but just at your ear. CRI's FM radio station in Rome began broadcasting at the end of 2011. It is the 70th metropolitan radio station that CRI has launched overseas, giving local listeners access to CRI's broadcasts in Italian.

To date, CRI presents more than 3,000 hours of programs in 61 languages on a daily basis. In addition to the 70 overseas full-frequency radio stations, CRI also has 24 overseas program production studios, 40 correspondent bureaus in other nations, 15 on-air Confucius Classrooms, as well as 4,112 listener's clubs. All our efforts have paid off. We received a total of 3.23 million letters and e-mails from listeners and netizens in 2011 alone.

Reviewing history, we feel honored. While looking into the future, we are filled with expectations. In the coming New Year, CRI will continue to promote open dialogue, harmonious co-existence and common prosperity in a multicultural environment. We will work hard to enhance our information-spreading capabilities to enable international friends to understand a colorful and progressive China.

Dear listeners and netizens, please accept our heartfelt New Year's greetings to you all! Let us join hands to create a brighter future in 2012.

Thank you!