China says its news coverage of Africa "has been objective, fair and positive in Africa-related reports" and that its CCTV News channel carried by both MultiChoice's DStv and StarTimes' StarSat now reaches more than 31 million African TV households.
Zhu Tong, the deputy editor-in-chief at China Central Television (CCTV) spoke on Tuesday at the first China-Africa Media Leadership Summit that was held in Africa.
The summit, to cement greater cooperation between China and Africa saw 200 representatives from across Africa and China converge in Cape Town, South Africa and was co-organised by Naspers and China's StarTimes pay-TV operator.
CCTV's 24-hour TV news channel in English, CCTV News (DStv 409 / StarSat 266) is currently carried on MultiChoice's satellite pay-TV platform DStv as well as on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa's StarSat.
MultiChoice forms part of Naspers' pay-TV division, while StarSat is part of the StarTimes conglomerate.
CCTV News, through its production centre CCTV Africa production office in Nairobi, Kenya, brodcasts shows like the daily Africa Live.
"Chinese and Africa media is like family," said Zhu Tong.
"I believe that this media summit will bring us onto the track of fast development in communicating with each other, promoting mutual understanding and inclusiveness, and deepening cooperation and consensus and will open up a new era of win-win cooperation between Chinese and African media."
"Chinese media has been objective, fair and positive in Africa-related reports," said Zhu Tong at the summit.
"A survey by Oxford University finds that 'Chinese media platforms in Africa, including CCTV Africa, have formed a strategy to advocate a perspective to look at Africa differently from that of Western media".
"What CCTV Africa reports is an uprising, promising continent, not Africa struggling with hunger, wars and backwardness," said Zhu Tong.
"CCTV has long taken an objective and fair stance, a positive and upbeat keynote, a unique and positive perspective and warm languages in reporting Africa-related affairs".
Zhu Tong says CCTV has actively worked to launch its international CCTV News channel in Africa.
"By early October this year, CCTV News had reached 56 African countries and regions by signing contracts with local TV agencies and through unencrypted satellite coverage, now reaching 31.78 million Africa households."
"So far, mainstream TV stations in Kenya, Seychelles, Uganda, Namibia and Lesotho have broadcast many outstanding programmes made by China, including Africa Live produced by CCTV Africa," said Zhu Tong.
