AFP Fact Check: China NOT Ethiopia Launched the Ethiopian Satellite Last Month

The French news agency AFP published a fact check on Monday about doctored photos of last month’s launch of the Ethiopian satellite from the Taiyuan launch facility in China.  The Ethiopian satellite blasted off in a Long March 4B rocket, not the Long March 5 or Changzheng 5 that was depicted in the altered images of the photos that were doctored to make them look like an Ethiopian rocket, complete with an Ethiopian flag.

These images circulated on social media even by Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen also shared the wrong image on his official Facebook page.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
China, U.S. Ink Rare Earth Deal; More Trade Pacts Coming
4
Chinese-Moroccan Joint Venture Inaugurates EV Battery Parts Plant
5
Six Million Donkeys Slaughtered for Chinese Medicine: Charity
6
Rubio to Welcome Asian ‘Quad’ Back to Washington

You Might Like

UAE PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tweets in Chinese to Congratulate Xi Jinping on Mars Mission

It’s rare for the head of a foreign state to tweet in Chinese, but today the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed congratulated China, and President Xi Jinping specifically, on the Tianwen-1 spacecraft joining the Emirates’ ...

Ethiopia’s New Chinese-built Satellite Sends Back First Images

Three weeks after it blasted off from a launchpad in China, Ethiopia’s new satellite sent back its first test images Monday. These initial photos were taken over China but officials say the next ...

Ethiopia Seeks to Follow China’s Example By Creating Its Own Social Media Apps as Alternatives to Facebook and Twitter

China’s nationalist model of cyber sovereignty received another endorsement in Africa on Monday when Ethiopian officials unveiled new ambitions to “replace” U.S.-made social media and communications apps with local ...

If First Lady Aisha Buhari is so Keen to Follow China’s Example, Then Why Not Go All the Way, Suggests Nigeria’s Twitterverse

First Lady’s Aisha Buhari’s endorsement of the controversial social media and her comparison with internet control in China provoked a passionate response on Twitter. Accountant Obinna Nwosu’s tweet suggesting other ways Nigeria can ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP