BEIJING - A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Thursday called on Xinhua Bookstore to better promote the Party's policies and improve services for readers.

Liu Qibao, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while attending a symposium marking the 80th anniversary of the bookstore's founding.

Liu said the store should play its role in promoting Party policies and creating a sound cultural atmosphere for the 19th CPC National Congress to be held in the second half of this year.

Noting that Xinhua Bookstore was directly led and established by the Party, Liu asked it to show confidence in Chinese culture and shoulder the responsibility of passing on Chinese traditional culture and developing advanced socialist culture.

Liu also urged the bookstore to improve its services for grassroots readers and explore new development models within the current situation.