BEIJING / NEW YORK - China Daily is adding a new publication to newspaper racks in the United States.

China's national English-language newspaper group announced Friday the launch of a 24-page full-color weekly tabloid distributed along with its Friday edition in the United States. The first issue can be found in today's edition.

China Daily USA Weekly, produced by China Daily's international teams in Beijing and New York, is printed in eight US cities - New York, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle and Atlanta.

Under the theme "Global issues, Chinese perspective", China Daily USA Weekly focuses on business and cultural issues.

It provides tailored content such as Cover Story, Hotspot, People and Comment to depict exchanges and interaction between the US and China in matters of the economy, culture and diplomacy.

With the new weekly publication, China Daily has developed a complete product portfolio including the daily newspaper, the weekly newspaper, a website and mobile applications.

It has also become a key platform to bring Chinese news and views to the US and promote exchanges and trust between the two nations.

"In our process of globalization, China Daily is dedicated to 'Connecting China, Connecting the World' and committed to promoting communication across cultures and geographies for a harmonious world," said Zhu Ling, editor-in-chief of China Daily.

Zhu said North America is a key priority in China Daily's international growth.

The newspaper group hopes to garner more feedback from readers in the US so that it can become more responsive and successful.

"We have seen a marked rise in demand for information on China from around the world, given the rapid progress in the world's second-largest economy," said Larry Lee, president of China Daily USA Ltd.

Since the China Daily US edition was launched in early 2009, the newspaper and China Daily USA Ltd have made huge strides in the US, Lee said.

China Daily US Edition now has a circulation of 150,000, and is very popular among America's political and business circles.

Lee revealed that the newspaper will soon be printed in a ninth US city -Boston - and expand to Canada within the year. By that time, the circulation will reach 200,000 copies.

China Daily, launched on June 1, 1981, is the national English-language newspaper group of the People's Republic of China. China Daily is the main bridge of information between China and the rest of the world and the most frequently quoted news group by international media.

It is also a window for China to know the world and the world to understand China. China Daily has been accelerating its international expansion and establishing a global reporting, editing and communicating platform to become a world-class, modern multimedia group.