“Join Hands in the Paths towards Modernization” was the theme of the 6th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation and China-Africa Think Tank High-Level Dialogue, held in Beijing.
It may be ‘good politics’ for the West to spend big money badmouthing China, but the process ultimately harms the poor, said speakers at an Africa-China communications forum this week.
There are so many good China-Africa joint ventures taking place, but there is no coverage from the international media, which is dominant in Africa as it is everywhere.
The negative news prevents Africans from taking advantage of the way China uses its skills in creating large scale infrastructure projects that boost trade within and between cities.
ASTONISHING UNTOLD STORY
Across Africa, China has helped construct or rebuild more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, almost 1,000 bridges and nearly 100 ports in Africa.
Yet these achievements go unreported, or are misrepresented as “debt traps” or “neo-colonialism”, speakers said.
Africans and Asians should unite against the demonization process, because both regions have the same need, as both are developing areas which need to modernize into safe, modern societies, speakers said at the forum in Beijing.
ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM
The other issue is that China offered a different model for governance and international relationships, some speakers said.
Western media don’t want African people to know about China, because it offers “the example for the future,” said Adetoro Banwo from the University of Lagos.
Unbiased voices are crucial in helping people in Africa recognize that China has been at the forefront in supporting Africans, said Paul Frimpong, the Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow of the Africa-China Centre for Policy & Advisory.
NEED FOR FAIR NARRATIVE
China “is an indispensable and cooperative partner for African countries in the process of achieving modernization”, said Grégoire Ndjaka, CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting, who addressed the forum through video.
“The western media dominates in many African countries. Their narrative is aimed primarily at demonizing China, creating a very bad image of the country,” Qwesi Pratt JNR, director and founder of pan African television, said at the forum.
A Global Times reporter summarized the theme emerging from the talks: “African scholars emphasized the importance of creating a comprehensive and unbiased narrative that portrays the stories of China-Africa cooperation.”
“Join Hands in the Paths towards Modernization” was the theme of the 6th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation and China-Africa Think Tank High-Level Dialogue, held in Beijing this week.
Source: Nury Vittachi, Aug 23, 2024.
Nury Vittachi is a Hong Kong-based author, and editor of www.fridayeveryday.com. His latest book is “The Other Side of the Story: A Secret War in Hong Kong”.