2018年CRI China, Africa media eye closer ties（在线收听）

Over 400 government officials and heads of media organizations from China and 45 African countries are vowing to strengthen bilateral ties at the fourth Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation in Beijing.

CRI's Yu Yang has more.

First set up in 2012, the China-Africa media cooperation forum is welcoming its 4th edition this year, running from Monday to Wednesday.

Dora Siliya, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services of Zambia, says Zambia's media industry has benefited a lot from its past cooperation with China, including in professional training and infrastructure.

The minister says there has been much talk on the opportunities and challenges that come with new technologies.

"This(The forum) provides an opportunity for China and Africa to really look at a policy formulation in media, to look at how we can have a lot of local content and exchange content and culture between Africa and China. And also look at the technologies, the opportunities new technology brings, but also the challenges new tech knowledge brings, such as cyber security, data protection, hacking, and so on."

Chinese media companies have also benefitted from the cooperation with their African peers. The Startimes Group is a good example.

Guo Ziqi is Vice President of the media group.

"I think the China-Africa media cooperation forum is of great significance to StarTimes. It not only helps us improve our influence in Africa's media circle, but also help us constantly expand our business areas."

Guo adds that most of the guests of this year's event are the company's clients, or potential ones.

Yakubu Ibn Mohammed, Director General of Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission, holds a positive view about promoting future media partnerships with China.

"The Chinese offer very high levels of technical import that meets our own standards, so we would continue to work with them. We also hope that china will continue to offer opportunities for a Nigerian television and broadcasting to get opportunities for study, for exchange of content ideas, for co-productions, so that we can be able to tell the Nigerian as well as the Chinese stories, their endeavors to break the back of underdevelopment and walk the parcels of development."

So far, several outcomes have been achieved during the forum.

12 cooperation agreements have been reached between Chinese and African media.

A joint statement was also issued on Tuesday. It says Chinese and African media will intensify policy dialogue, enhance cooperation in key sectors such as news coverage, content production and channel development, and continue to support media digitalization and capacity building in Africa.