Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Clapping to the beat and humming the famous Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower," one of the African delegates at the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum joined Unitree robots in an impromptu joint rendition of the classic Chinese melody, with the robots playing guitar and drums, in Beijing on Thursday.

The lively scene was observed as the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum officially opened in Beijing on Thursday, with the attendance of 33 minister-level delegates from African countries, marking a record-high level of participation. Participants also released the Joint Declaration of the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum.

Chinese and African guests held in-depth dialogues on a range of topics, including tech-empowered creative content, trade of audio-visual services, and the application of AI in radio, television and audio-visual sectors.

Gregoire Ndjaka, director general of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB), said Chinese technology and equipment have made an important contribution to the development and modernization of broadcasting infrastructure in Africa.

He was very happy to confirm that, based on this cooperation, China donated equipment to the AUB Content Exchange Center located in the capital of Albania, and that the AUB has benefited greatly from it, Ndjaka said.

Ndjaka said there are significant opportunities to deepen cooperation, particularly in modern equipment, lightweight production and modern broadcasting systems. The AUB is preparing to establish a training center in Senegal's capital Dakar, which will host a pan-African broadcasting and television station, he noted.

The importance of access to Chinese technology was also highlighted by Mouhamadou El Bachir Diouf, a young participant from Senegal, who tried out Chinese-made VR glasses at the entrance to the forum.

Diouf told the Global Times that his country does not have such equipment and expressed hope that Chinese technologies and equipment could be introduced to Dakar as cooperation between the two sides develops.

Chernor Abduli Bah, Sierra Leone's Minister of Information and Civic Education, said China and Africa, within the framework of South-South cooperation, have a responsibility to ensure that their messages are communicated clearly.

"We are not here in competition with any entity," Bah said, stressing that China and Africa are seeking to foster a multilateral global order based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and the principle that every human being is equal.

He also called for global governance mechanisms to adapt to current realities, saying that the international order cannot simply continue to be defined by a framework established 70 years ago, as it no longer represents the realities and aspirations of many countries.

Whether involving the United Nations, international financial institutions or other global governance mechanisms, the international system should evolve to respond to changing realities, Bah said.

Evelyne Butoyi, Burundi's Minister of Communication and Media, said cooperation with China has brought tangible benefits to the country's broadcasting sector.

She cited a digital terrestrial television project through which Burundi and Chinese firm StarTimes jointly established Burundi Television Company. The project has improved television picture quality and enabled people in Burundi to access a wider range of better-produced programs, she said.

She also highlighted the "Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages" project carried out with StarTimes, saying that 500 villages in Burundi were included in the project. Set-top boxes were distributed free of charge to rural communities, allowing people in remote areas to watch digital television.

More than 80 Chinese TV series have appeared on African screens over the past two years, including "The Three-Body Problem" and "To the Wonder," according to an introduction at the opening ceremony.

China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation, however, has drawn criticism from some Western media outlets. A recent New York Times report said that Chinese AI models are widely favored by African developers because they are cheap and freely available, potentially weakening US dominance in the global AI race.

Commenting on the report, Allawi Ssemanda, executive director of Uganda's Development Watch Center, told the Global Times, "The New York Times will always find a way to portray Africa as simply looking for something cheap." 

He said African users choose Chinese AI models for reasons beyond cost, including their user-friendliness and the quality of information they provide.

"Personally, I know that if I use an AI model developed in the US, it may be good, but it may not give me the facts I am looking for because of global politics. If you use a Chinese-developed model, you can get what you want."

Ssemanda also rejected the notion that the affordability of Chinese AI should be viewed as a weakness. China, as part of the Global South, understands that making AI prohibitively expensive would limit access for developing countries, he said.

His comments point to a broader concern among African countries: for many developing nations, the question is not which country dominates the global AI race, but whether technological advances can be made accessible and translated into tangible development opportunities.

Thierry Lézin Moungalla, Minister of Communication and Media and government spokesperson of the Republic of the Congo, echoed this point, saying African countries continue to grapple with the digital divide.

"However, we can believe in the friendship, support and practical cooperation offered by China," Moungalla said.