Technology, Information and Power: the Role of CGTN Africa in China–africa Relations

As the relations between Africa and China deepen, questions emerge about the extent to which people are getting included in the relationship, given the possibilities that are offered by new technologies for bridging the huge geographical distance between these two territories. The relationship has grown significantly since Mao Zedong’s Three Worlds Theory, which set out China’s global strategy in the aftermath of World War Two. Of course, Zhou Enlai's visit to Africa in the early 1960s and the expansion of Chinese foreign aid after 1968 when Peking then adopted the Eight Principles of Foreign Aid. The post-Cold War has seen a massive increase as China’s rise gained significant momentum and crystallized in the Forum for China–Africa Cooperation. This has seen billions worth of trade and investment flow into Africa, resulting in a massive expansion of critical industrial infrastructure. But with this has also come concerns and controversies about the intentions of China and the preparedness of Africa to harness this relationship to its advantage. There has been concerns about how this relationship includes or reaches out to ordinary people. In response, efforts have been made to expand people-to-people exchange through educational scholarships, research collaboration, public dialogues and, increasingly through the use of the media platforms such as Xinhua, China Central Television (CCTV) and the China Global Television Network CGTN-Africa. However, such initiatives raises questions about the role of broadcasting in China-Africa relation, and, whether it reinforces a one-way asymmetric or unequal relationship, and how does technology transfer and cooperation offer opportunities for more mutually beneficial relationships? In this regard, information technologies have a potential. This chapter will reflect on technology, information, and power in Africa–China Relations through a case study of the Nairobi-based CGNTV-Africa.