SHENZHEN Press Group should exert a bigger role as a friend of the public in voicing their concerns through more involvement in social activities, Huang Yanglue, president of the group, told a forum Friday.

The forum, held to celebrate the group’s fifth anniversary, attracted presidents, editors-in-chief and experts from more than 30 newspapers nationwide to share experiences and expand cooperation.

The news media bureau under the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee sent a letter of congratulation to the press group, praising its achievements in the past five years.

The press group was established Sept. 30, 2002 by merging the city’s two leading newspapers, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily and Shenzhen Economic Daily.

The press group now has 10 newspapers, four periodicals, one Web site and one publishing house, with total assets of more than 5 billion yuan (US$660 million). The Shenzhen Daily is a member of the group.

The press group has more than 6,000 employees and annual income of 3 billion yuan, paying 400 million yuan in taxes.

Shenzhen Press Group is one of the country’s biggest and most advanced newspaper groups. It also leads China’s newspaper industry in terms of electronic editing.

A large number of newspaper groups have been formed in China in recent years as competition heats up.