BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended congratulations to the faculty, students and alumni of the Communication University of China on its 70th founding anniversary.

In a reply letter to its faculty and students, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on the university to cultivate more high-caliber journalism and communication professionals.

Xi urged the university to focus on the needs of the press and public communications, deepen reform and innovation, and continuously improve its teaching and research capacity.

The predecessor of the university was founded in 1954 as a technical training program for broadcasting. In 2004, it changed its name from Beijing Broadcasting Institute to the Communication University of China.