China-Africa Relations: Building Images through Cultural Co-operation, Media Representation, and Communication(China Policy Series)

The recent rapid growth in China’s involvement in Africa is being promoted by both Chinese and African leaders as being conducted in a spirit of cooperation, friendship and equality. In the media and informally, however, a different, less harmonious picture emerges. This book explores how China and Africa really regard each other, how official images are manufactured, and how informal images are nevertheless shaped and put forward. The book covers a wide range of areas where China-Africa exchange exists, including diplomacy, technological cooperation, sport, culture and arts exchange. The book also discusses the historical development of the relationship and how it is likely to develop going forward.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: Images, Nation Branding and News Framing 2. Beyond the Drama: Sino-African Ties in Perspective Part I: Building Images through Cultural Cooperation and Diplomacy 3. Revolutionary Friendship: Representing Africa during the Mao Era 4. Giving ‘Prominence to Politics’: African Sportsmen Visit China in the Early Cultural Revolution 5. Twenty-first Century Sino-African Cultural Cooperation: Exploring Reciprocity 6. Confucius Institutes in Africa: Culture and Language without Controversy? 7. China Corner: Chinese Book Donations to Africa 8. China’s Digital Public Diplomacy towards Africa: Actors, Messages and Audiences Part II: Building Images through Media Representation and Communication 9. Chinese Media and Diplomacy in Africa: Theoretical Pathways 10. Newspaper Coverage of China’s Engagement with Nigeria: Partner or Predator? 11. Media Construction of African Image(s) for the Chinese Media Public 12. Chinese Developmentalism and Television Representation of South Africa 13. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Activities of Huawei and ZTE in Africa 14. The Effectiveness of Chinese Technical Assistance and Knowledge Transfer in East Africa from the Perspective of Medium-of-Instruction

About the Author :
Kathryn Batchelor is Associate Professor in the Department of French and Francophone Studies, University of Nottingham, UK. Xiaoling Zhang is Associate Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Review :
‘A valuable book that dissects the ‘heart’ of China-Africa relations through insightful cultural, media and communication perspectives to create new critical knowledge on the relationship.’ – Professor Zhang Yanqiu, Director of the Africa Communication Research Center, Communication University of China ‘Much has been published on China’s economic and political relations with Africa. Few books, however, have addressed how China has branded itself in Africa through media representations and cultural cooperation, and vice versa how Africa is being perceived in China. Thus this book represents an important and critical contribution to the understanding of the relationship between Africa and China.’ – Professor Helge Rønning, Department of Media and Communication. University of Oslo. ‘This is a rich and diverse collection of articles. The inclusion of two historical chapters, several fascinating case studies, and the use of analytical tools, theories, and literatures not often seen in China-Africa research go a long way to enriching the field.’ – Dr Yoon Jung Park, Convener, Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network ‘A valuable book that dissects the ‘heart’ of China-Africa relations through insightful cultural, media and communication perspectives to create new critical knowledge on the relationship.’ – Professor Zhang Yanqiu, Director of the Africa Communication Research Center, Communication University of China ‘Much has been published on China’s economic and political relations with Africa. Few books, however, have addressed how China has branded itself in Africa through media representations and cultural cooperation, and vice versa how Africa is being perceived in China. Thus this book represents an important and critical contribution to the understanding of the relationship between Africa and China.’ – Professor Helge Rønning, Department of Media and Communication. University of Oslo. ‘This is a rich and diverse collection of articles. The inclusion of two historical chapters, several fascinating case studies, and the use of analytical tools, theories, and literatures not often seen in China-Africa research go a long way to enriching the field.’ – Dr Yoon Jung Park, Convener, Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network