Emerging trends and patterns in China–Africa media dynamics: A discussion from an East African perspective

Abstract

Academic considerations of African communications, media and journalism are in their embryonic stages, to the extent that they trail other strands of engagement within highly dynamic China–Africa relations. Yet, media reporting of China by Chinese, African and global media have been in flux since the inauguration of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000. Three layers of perspective on China–Africa media confluences are discernible: the re-entry of Chinese media into the African media space; China–Africa communication/media scholarship is only now beginning to gain traction; and finally, a distinction can be made between media reporting on China–Africa relations and academic/scholarly considerations. Motivated by these hypothetical perspectives, this article broadly describes and discusses four emerging trends and patterns in China–Africa media links, extrapolating trends in policy documents, recent media reporting and scholarly perspectives on the topic.