Improving soft power through the media is a focus for Beijing. In Africa, China’s media presence has grown in line with its deepening economic and political ties with the region over the past decade.
Now, China’s state-run international broadcast arm is undergoing a revamp. In December 2016, the country’s main state-run television network China Central Television (CCTV) launched a new international media platform called China Global Television Network (CGTN).
CGTN is “a multi-language, multi-platform media grouping” intended to re-brand CCTV’s various international offerings and to streamline China’s messaging to the world.