Australia's national newspaper, The Australian, has launched a new Mandarin language version of their online news service on Thursday, in a move it says will help it to better connect with its local Chinese readers.

The new website - cn.theaustralian.com.au - will feature stories that have been translated by an in-house team at the publication, and will include coverage of a wide range of national, regional, and international news events along with analysis pieces.

"China is a phenomenon, an outstanding example of growth and change in what we now know will be the Asian century," the editor-in-chief of The Australian, Paul Whittaker said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Australian is delighted to play a role in ensuring our stories, values and ideas are heard in the region."

According to the latest 2016 census figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Mandarin is the second most commonly spoken language within households in Australia with over 596,000 speakers, or 2.5 percent of the total population, up from the 1.6 percent total from the 2011 census.

"With more than half a million of Australia's migrants originating from China, and the prominence of China in the ­region's outlook, it is important our coverage of Australia and the Asia-Pacific region is accessible in Chinese," said Nicholas Gray, chief executive officer of The Australian.