BEIJING - A national media training center opened in Beijing on Thursday to help government officials and entrepreneurs hone their abilities to communicate with the media and the public.

The center was co-founded by the Communication University of China (CUC) and the China Public Relations Association (CPRA). It is the first of its kind in China.

"In this multimedia and big data era, it is a key requirement for officials and entrepreneurs to attain high-level skills for communicating with the media," said Chen Wenshen, Party secretary of the CUC, at the inauguration ceremony for the center.

A press release described the center's mission as "aiming to help government and business leaders at all levels to better understand the media, improve their expressiveness and cultivate a sense of positive communication and spirit to serve the people around them."

"China has been attracting more attention from the world, and the need for the world to understand the real China has never been this urgent," said Su Qiucheng, president of the CPRA, adding that the association will devote its efforts to improving sound interactions among governments, enterprises, media and the public.