Participants in the “Our African Partners: CMG Media Cooperation Forum 2021” organized in November 2021. Image via Xinhua.
In December 2021, the U.S. confirmed that President Joe Biden will boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in February. But already before the end of November, China had signaled it was working towards lessening the public diplomacy fallout of such gestures. As part of the November 2021 three-yearly Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) agreement, a 36-partner collaboration was announced between the state-owned China Media Group (CMG) – responsible for CCTV and the international broadcaster CGTN – and African press and television organizations. The result could be that China will succeed in shaping considerable TV and newspaper Olympic coverage in Africa. China will use this fresh public diplomacy leverage in African broadcasting and online news to narrate the message that China’s international status continues to rise.
Signed up for this mammoth partnership were state broadcasters and companies from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal, amongst others. Details thus far are scant, but according to Dr. Ayub Rioba, the Director-General of the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation, the alliance will involve “exchange of content, exchange of staff, and co-production.” The relationship-building forum was led by African Union of Broadcasting CEO Gregoire Ndjaka, Huang Kunming, head of China’s CPC Central Committee Publicity Department, and CMG president Shen Haixiong, the latter of who linked China-Africa relations to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Lead the Conversation on China
Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project
Monthly
$19.00 / monthly
Cancel Anytime - Renews Monthly
Save 17%
Best Value
Yearly
$228.00
$199.00 / yearly
Renews Yearly
Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription
The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time
Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South
Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.
The number of ways that Chinese propaganda filters into mainstream African news coverage appear to be growing. In this case, the website for The Standard newspaper in Kenya published ...
The U.S. government-funded human rights and free speech organization Freedom House published a scathing report Wednesday about China’s stepped-up efforts to influence media at home and abroad, particularly in developing ...
As an individual Chinese living in Kenya, here’s my personal take on the complicated and evolving issue of the Kenyans suffering in Guangzhou. It is unfortunate that there are Africans who are suffering ...
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.
We use cookies on our website to remember your login status and manage your subscription access. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.