Category: Soft Power
While Skepticism of China’s Global Media Expansion Runs High in the U.S., in Kenya Opinions are More Varied
Kenya is the epicenter of China's media presence in Africa, with Nairobi hosting the regional headquarters of CGTN and an expanded presence by the state-run news service Xinhua. Also, Kenya is one of the largest markets for Chinese-owned private sector media and technology companies like the pay-TV ...
Why Wang Yi’s Boring, Uneventful Tour of Africa Was So Important
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on his way back home today after wrapping a busy weekend visiting three African countries to wrap up his latest African tour. He also made an unscheduled stop in Nairobi. For all intents and purposes, ...
Pew: People Don’t Think Very Highly of Donald Trump Around the World, Except in Three of Africa’s Largest Countries
While Donald Trump may not be very popular in most parts of the world, not so in several of Africa's largest countries, according to new survey data from the Pew Research Center. Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa all recorded much higher levels of ...
The Growing Number of Ways Chinese Propaganda Filters Into Mainstream African Media
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 an article last week that appropriately labeled the article as "Sponsored Content" but never ...
Public Relations with Chinese Characteristics
The Chinese approach to public relations often comes under fire by groups that espouse values of engagement and transparency. There is an attempt to measure Chinese PR performance against liberal democratic ideals, and unsurprisingly, those using this metric often come up disappointed time and time again. ...
Jack Ma is the New Face of Chinese Soft Power in Africa
Forget CGTN, China Daily or the countless other propaganda outlets the Chinese deploy in Africa to exert soft power, none of them are capable of generating the kind of impact that Jack Ma did this past week with his business and wildlife conservation awards. ...
Tweet of the Day: China’s All-Expense Paid Junkets for African Journalists Are Quite Effective at Building Goodwill
Today's Tweet comes from Ugandan journalist Sarah Kyobe who showcases how effective China's outreach to African journalists has been quite effective in building goodwill. The Chinese government spends a considerable amount of money every year to pay for hundreds of African journalists and media professionals to visit ...
U.S. Army Panel Discussion Explores Cultural and ‘Soft Power’ ‘Influences’ of China, Russia, and France in Africa
“Cultural and ‘Soft Power’ ‘Influences’ of China, Russia, and France in Africa” was the topic of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Cultural and Area Studies Office (CASO) first presentation of the school year, Wednesday, Sep. 25, at the Lewis and Clark Center's Arnold Conference ...
China’s New Approach to Public Diplomacy in Africa
Chinese diplomatic missions in Africa have long had a reputation for being inaccessible, even unapproachable. Ambassadors often shied away from unscripted public events, journalists seeking any kind of comment were largely brushed away and engagement with local NGOs and civil society ...
In Africa, China Is the News
China's soft power projection in Africa is radically different from that of other countries, like the U.S. or France, where movies, music, and culture are used to foster support and allegiance. Even the Chinese realize that no matter how hard ...