Participants pose for a group photo during the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation in Beijing on Thursday. The event runs through Friday. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY
African officials and media leaders called on Thursday for China-Africa media cooperation to move beyond equipment support and program exchanges toward coproduction and two-way storytelling, in order to help the African media better narrate their own stories and bring a wider African perspective to Chinese audiences.
They made the remarks as the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation opened in Beijing, bringing together about 400 government, media, diplomatic, business and academic representatives from China and 45 African countries.
The three-day forum is being held as China and Africa mark 70 years of launching diplomatic relations in 2026 and observe the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
Alhaji Mohamed Sarjoh Bah, the African Union's permanent representative to China, described the media as a strategic tool for development, cultural identity and economic opportunity, as well as a major force shaping international perception. He emphasized that Africa should not remain a passive recipient of information, and should instead become a producer and distributor of knowledge and ideas.
