China’s Satellite TV Project Brings Services To Rural Housholds

President Xi Jinping proposed “ten major cooperation projects” at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2015. Xi announced that in order to jointly establish and develop comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Africa, China would launch the projects to assist Africa and provide a fund of $60 billion to support the operation in the ensuing three years. Since then, the cooperation projects have been progressing and have achieved significant outcomes, further promoting the development of China-Africa relations.

African People in Rural Areas Can Now Watch TV

The program of “Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages”, as the cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange project, part of “ten major cooperation projects”, aims to make it possible for 10,000 rural areas in Africa to receive TV broadcasting signals, so as to enrich the cultural life of local people and enhance China-Africa connections.

Taking advantage of China’s technology and equipment, Chinese companies have assisted African countries in putting in place digital radio and TV broadcasting systems, and promoting the digitalization of radio and TV services.

With coverage in 10,112 rural villages in 25 African countries, StarTimes Group, the Chinese digital television service provider, is heading the construction of the digital TV service project and its after services.

This project is highly welcomed in African countries. It is expected that along with the satellite TV services, about 200,000 African households will also get a free set top box. With these facilities in place, rural villages in Africa will be able to watch local TV programs as well as Chinese programs at any time, which will boost China-Africa cultural and people-to-people exchanges and enrich their cultural life. To date, the project is progressing smoothly and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

China-Africa cooperation has been led by people-to-people exchanges in recent years. The closer and more active China-Africa people-to-people exchanges are, the more mutual understanding will be achieved and the more solid the friendship will be. The cultures of China and Africa are interconnected. African people hope to learn more about Chinese culture, and China’s satellite TV program has opened a window for them to learn more about China and the world.

Localized Management Creates more African Jobs

During President Xi Jinping’s first visit to Africa in March 2013 after he was elected president of China, he proposed the Principles of Sincerity, Practical Results, Affinity and Good Faith as a foreign policy concept. He also spoke about the idea of righteous and profit regarding the China-Africa relationship in his speech addressed at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Center in Tanzania.

The principle has become the guideline for China-Africa relations in the new era. China-Africa cooperation has been pragmatic and outstanding in these years. The satellite TV project, for example, is a realization of the concept of Sincerity, Practical Results, Affinity and Good Faith, where China treats African friends from the heart and assists Africa in practical cooperation.

Localized operations and management lower the costs for corporates, and dispel the worries and misgivings of African friends toward projects. They also tighten relations between corporates and local people, partly solve local unemployment issues and directly benefiting local people.

Many African countries are facing problems of inadequate infrastructure and electricity. Confronted with these challenges, Chinese companies have adjusted measures to local conditions. In Kenya, for example, when municipal power supply could not reach rural areas, StarTimes choose to offer solar-television systems, which ensure effective access to TV signals with the use of adequate solar energy resources in Kenya.

In order to better serve local people with stable and high-quality television services, nearly 96 percent of StarTimes employees in its African branch are local residents, directly creating more than 4,000 jobs and 6,000 agents, and indirectly creating more than 50,000 jobs through local agents.

Chinese TV Dramas a Hit in Africa

With the digital television project making progress in Africa in recent years, the importation of China’s TV dramas has also achieved significant exposure. TV dramas, including A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era and Journey to the West, adapted from one of Chinese four major classical novels, became hits in Africa. Emphasis has been put in localization when introducing Chinese dramas in Africa, for example, the Chinese daughter-in-law drama was dubbed into Swahili, and by watching it will undoubtedly increase African people’s understanding of Chinese culture and Chinese families. Currently, African people can enjoy TV programs in local African languages, as well as Chinese, English, French and Portuguese.

Guo Ziqi, Vice President of StarTimes, shared a story in an interview with China Focus. She said a minister in Zambia told her that she likes Chinese TV dramas very much because they teach people to be positive, to strive to live and create value so as to make life better and help the country to be stronger. Chinese dramas are full of positive energy, which she said was embraced by her country.

The Beijing Summit of FOCAC 2018 is taking place on September 3-4. Against the backdrop of complicated and changing international situations, China-Africa relations are facing new opportunities and challenges.

Leaders of China and African countries once again are gathering together, negotiating and publishing major measures that will guide China-Africa cooperation and development.

The summit will continue to promote China-Africa exchanges and cooperation in all fields, realize and lift mutual beneficial cooperation and common development to a higher level and determine the future direction of China-Africa relations.

Zheng Nan, editorial writer of China Focus.