BEIJING (AP) - China’s biggest national news agency announced ambitious plans yesterday to launch a television news network in Asia and some European countries in the new year, part of efforts to expand the Communist government’s media influence abroad.

Starting January 1, China Xinhua News Network Corp (CNC) will broadcast TV programs in Chinese around the clock, including news segments and special bulletins, the agency said. A CNC Finance and Business channel will be launched at the same time. It did not immediately say what countries would receive the channel.

"The launch of the CNC is an important move for Xinhua to enrich the agency’s business sectors, and embrace the multimedia world," Xinhua president Li Congjun said at a launching ceremony in Beijing.

China has multibillion-dollar plans to raise the profile of its state media abroad by expanding Xinhua, state broadcaster China Central Television and the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily. Chinese authorities often express disapproval of much of the international coverage of events in China. They accuse international media organizations of being biased and focusing on negative news.