The Chinese Media in an Era of State-led Communication

China is employing a 'soft power' strategy in Africa, utilizing state-owned media like CCTV Africa and China Daily to promote its culture and policies following its emergence as Africa's largest trading partner in 2010. This effort is part of a wider trend among emerging economies to manage their global imagery. However, the document argues that China faces significant hurdles in establishing international credibility due to a conflict between the watchdog nature of mainstream global media and traditional Chinese cultural values regarding criticism and 'losing face'.

• China has implemented a non-coercive 'soft power' strategy in Africa to counter negative opinions regarding its engagement in the region, utilizing tools such as the establishment of Confucius Institutes, hosting international events like the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and increasing academic exchanges.
• Chinese state-owned media have expanded their role in Africa beyond technical assistance to include content creation and the employment of African professionals, exemplified by CCTV Africa's 2012 launch of programmes presented by African professionals and China Daily's announcement of a weekly Africa edition.
• China's efforts to build a global media presence are hindered by a fundamental conflict between the 'watchdog' ideals of mainstream news media and traditional Chinese cultural values, specifically a group-oriented mindset and the fear of 'losing face' which discourages open criticism.
• To achieve genuine international credibility and relevance, the document suggests that emerging countries must move beyond official opinions and expose the 'human faces' of their societies, especially as citizens become more involved in the news-making process.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2012). The Chinese Media in an Era of State-led Communication. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-chinese-media-in-an-era-of-state-led-communication/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The Chinese Media in an Era of State-led Communication. 2012. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-chinese-media-in-an-era-of-state-led-communication/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The Chinese Media in an Era of State-led Communication |date=6 July 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-chinese-media-in-an-era-of-state-led-communication/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2012chinese, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The Chinese Media in an Era of State-led Communication}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-chinese-media-in-an-era-of-state-led-communication/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }