Is That Correct? China’s Media Dominance within Africa

China utilizes the power of media and reporting to shape the narrative of events across China itself and large parts of the Global South. China’s media sphere is almost entirely state-owned, meaning that what is shared is often dictated by the narrative of the government. 

In the last two decades, China has extended its state-owned media reach across the Global South—particularly in Africa. 

There are three main Chinese news sources that have extended a deep reach into African media outlets: China Global Television Network, Xinhua, and China Daily. Xinhua spurred the influx of Chinese media outlets into Africa in 2006 when its regional headquarters were moved to Nairobi, Kenya, from Paris, France. Now Xinhua has 37 bureaus across Africa.

Within these news outlets, soft power techniques are utilized to spread positive rhetoric about China. For example, many of the journalists in Africa are trained in Beijing by Chinese media entities. 

Furthermore, similar to the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese media companies like StarTimes have invested over two billion US dollars into TV infrastructure across 30 African countries. 

China’s exertion of financial assistance and dominance in the media sector provides African countries with access to information that otherwise may be harder to obtain. However, while there may be greater access to information, the narrative often takes a pro-China approach. 

As tensions between the United States and China only seem to escalate, and soft power initiatives by the United States continue to dissipate, the United States may find itself in a precarious position. China has no plan to halt its meddling in African affairs, and with the closure of establishments like USAID, perceptions of the United States in places where China exerts control may become increasingly negative and anti-American. 

Reality is shaped by the content we read and learn, and currently, China is taking all the right steps to control the narrative.