BEIJING -- President Hu Jintao has urged SDX Joint Publishing Company, a reputable domestic publisher, to strive for innovation and produce more quality publications to assist in the country's cultural drive.

Hu made the remarks in a congratulatory letter on the 80th founding anniversary of the Beijing-based company.

Short for Shenghuo, Dushu and Xinzhi (or "life", "reading" and "new knowledge"), "SDX" represents the three publishing houses founded between 1932 and 1936 that joined together to form the current company in 1948.

Bidding greetings to all current and retired staff with the company, Hu hailed the group's contributions to spreading advanced thinking, promoting fine culture and pushing forward social development by publishing outstanding books and magazines.

Hu urged the company to create innovative operation systems and develop "more quality publications that are both readable and rich in knowledge and thoughts".

Top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and other senior leaders, including Li Changchun, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, also extended their congratulations on the company's anniversary.

At a celebratory meeting held Thursday, Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, called upon the company to publicize more advanced theories and promote civilization and good values.

"More efforts should be made to analyze readers' varied tastes, reduce prices, enrich the themes of publications... and publish more outstanding academic and cultural works with Chinese characteristics," Liu said.