The China-Africa Media Relationship

 Made in China Journal published on 5 February 2025 an article titled "Global China and African Journalistic Agency: A Relational Perspective" by Hangwei Li, German Institute of Development and Sustainability.  

The author provides an overview of the relational perspective to understand African media interactions and their 

China's Information Campaign in Africa

 The Diplomat published on 23 October 2024 a commentary titled "China's Battle for Narratives in Africa" by Samir Bhattacharya and Yuvvraj Singh, both with India's Observer Research Foundation.  

China has built narratives to its advantage in Africa, a region that has increasingly become a theater of great power rivalry.  China's information strategy in Africa consists of three parts.  First, it hosts and trains numerous African media professionals each year, teaching them to promote Chinese investments as a positive force.  Second, China invests in local African media outlets, influencing their editorial practices to align with the Chinese narrative.  Third, China sells technology to African governments that enables tighter control over digital information, including blocking websites and shutting down internet access.  

China's Strategy to Shape Africa's Media Space

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 16 April 2024 an analysis titled "China's Strategy to Shape Africa's Media Space" by Paul Nantulya.

The author describes a global strategy by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to gain influence in developing countries by shaping their information environments.  This raises concerns about the effect that China's heavy media penetration is having on shaping public perceptions in ways that promote Chinese interests even when they undermine African citizen interests.  

Thousands of African journalists participate annually in media exchanges in China.  Money is the key; Chinese media entities support many African media houses struggling with poor equipment, low salaries, and tight budgets.  Nevertheless, the author concludes the effectiveness of Chinese messaging is mixed.  

China and Russia's Propaganda Assault on Africa

 The Daily Maverick published on 27 March 2023 a commentary titled "Media Capture and Information Laundering--China and Russia's Propaganda Assault on Africa" by Herman Wasserman, Stellenbosch University.  

The governments of China and Russia have been working hard to frame information in Africa to fit their policies and interests.  Increasingly, this communication includes fake narratives and amplified conspiracy theories.  

China's Media Propaganda in Africa

 The United States Institute of Peace published on 16 March 2023 a report titled "China's Media Propaganda in Africa: A Strategic Assessment" by Joshua Eisenman.

This report examines China's investments in Africa's media sector, assesses their effect, and makes recommendations for how the United States can respond to China's influence campaigns.  

China's Media Influence in Africa

 Japan Forward published on 8 June 2022 an article titled "'Manage the Globe': China Funds African Media, Digital Space for Direct Influence" by Monika Chansoria.

The article summarizes China's efforts to manage media messaging in Africa by investing in government run radio, television, and print media and training African journalists.

China Makes Inroads in Africa's Media Markets

Foreign Policy posted on 13 August 2019 an article titled "In Africa, China Is the News" by Aubrey Hruby, Atlantic Council.

The article summarizes the dramatic expansion of Chinese companies in Africa's cell phone, television, and print media markets. It is also training African journalists.

China's Communist Party Expands Influence in Africa

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 30 August 2018 an analysis titled "Grand Strategy and China's Soft Power Push in Africa" by Paul Nantulya.

The author argues that the overwhelming goal of China's grand strategy is to restore itself as a great power. He then describes steps taken by China's Communist Party to extend its influence in Africa.

China's Media Effort in Africa

This is Africa published on 22 February 2017 an article titled "China Steps Up Media Charm Offensive across Africa" by Hangwei Li and Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa.

The article discusses efforts by China to reach out to Africa through its official media, much of it based in Kenya.

Impact of Chinese Media on African Public Opinion

The International Journal of Press/Politics published in 2016 a research article titled "China in Africa: An Analysis of the Effect of Chinese Media Expansion on African Public Opinion" by Catie Snow Bailard, George Washington University.

Using Pew Global Attitudes Project data, the author explored correlations between attitudes toward China and the extent of the Chinese media presence across six African nations in 2013. The analysis provided tentative support that the sweeping efforts to expand the reach and relevance of Chinese media in Africa have moved African public opinion in the desired direction.

China-Africa Media Cooperation

The Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS) at Stellenbosch University published on 16 August 2016 a commentary titled "China-Africa Media Co-operation: Challenging Western Media Control" by Tichafa Chidzonga, research assistant at CCS.

The author concludes that as China-Africa media cooperation continues to increase, China's influence increases accordingly. Without a strategy by individual African governments, Africa risks losing its voice once again.

Chinese Dominance in Kenyan Digital Migration Raises Alarm

The Inter Press Service published on 14 January 2014 an article titled "Chinese Dominance in Kenyan Digital Migration Raises Alarm" by Miriam Gathigah.  The article notes that Kenyan TV broadcasters will be reduced to only producing content as Chinese-owned Pan-Africa Network Group's (PANG) and SIGNET--a subsidiary of the national broadcaster--will serve as middlemen between local TV stations and consumers of media content.  The article discusses the implications of this digital migration in Kenya. 

China and Africa in 2023

The Center for China-US Cooperation in the Joseph Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver hosted a one day conference on "China in Africa" on 1 February 2013.  The organizers invited me to give the keynote luncheon address.  I took the occasion to predict the way the China-Africa relationship will look in 2023 in a speech titled China and Africa: The Next Decade.

Role of China in African Media

The Oxford University China Africa Network hosted on 9 November 2012 a conference on "New Trends in African Media: The Growing Role of China."

Iginio Gagliardone and Harry Verhoeven prepared a brief conference report that pointed out speakers and audience members underscored China's intentions to cast Africa and Africans in a more positive light. Other participants questioned the motives behind the spectacular expansion of CCTV and Xinhua News Agency, suggesting the effort may constitute a propaganda offensive.

Yushan Wu of the South African Institute of International Affairs gave a power point presentation titled China's State Media Engagement in Africa: An Instrument of Public Diplomacy.

China's Media Dynasty in Africa

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) published in June 2012 an analysis titled The Rise of China's State-Led Media Dynasty in Africa. Written by Yu-Shan Wu, assistant researcher on the China in Africa Project at SAIIA, it emphasizes that China's state-owned media are increasing their influence throughout the world as part of their soft power effort. The paper seeks to understand this new trend in Africa. It traces China's media engagement on the continent, explains how strategies have changed in the 2000s, and identifies some of the old challenges of transferring a global strategy to Africa.

Click here to read the study.

China Making Major Media Push in Africa

China has long emphasized its media activities in Africa but it has only been in the last decade or so that it had the resources to compete with western governments and private news sources such as Voice of America, BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, Agence France Presse and Associated Press. China's official news service, Xinhua, now has at least 20 bureaus in Africa and regional centers in Cairo and Nairobi. China Radio International (CRI) transmits from Kenya in Swahili, Chinese and English. China Central Television (CCTV) is the newest addition with a headquarters in Nairobi. All of these media services are government controlled.

Tom Rhodes, a Committee to Protect Journalists consultant based in Nairobi, recently commented on China's growing media footprint in Kenya. He noted that CCTV has a local staff of 50 and 14 correspondents in South Africa, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Senegal. CCTV plans to expand to 150 staff and become by 2015 an all news, 24-hour channel similar to CNN. This is occurring as western media sources are reducing their efforts in Africa.

Chinese media tend to emphasize "positive news stories" in Africa while western outlets report more negative developments. Rhodes adds, however, that Chinese media do not generally permit criticism of Chinese activities in Africa. Click here to read the authors brief commentary on this issue.