Story by Thembinkosi Mangena, Assistant News Editor
CHINA and countries from the Global South have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening media cooperation following the conclusion of the Seminar on News Officials and Journalists from the Global South in Beijing on Monday.
The two-week programme brought together delegates from several developing countries, including Zimbabwe, to explore the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism and the digitisation of archival systems.
The seminar highlighted China’s advances in deploying AI for news production and preserving media archives as part of safeguarding the country’s cultural and civilisational heritage.
Delegates also toured media organisations, digital technology institutions and sites of cultural significance to gain first-hand experience of China’s digital transformation initiatives.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, China Broadcasting International Economic and Technical Cooperation (CBIC) Deputy General Manager, Mr He Dongbo, said relations between China and the Global South had evolved into a lasting partnership.
“We are now more than friends, but partners walking side by side… Our cooperation will go on forever, and as CIBC, we have always been committed to exchange programmes between China and the Global South.”
Mr He urged developing countries to harness emerging technologies to shape global narratives.
“During the past two weeks, we have demonstrated that technology can drive development and redefine the international media discourse… The challenge to all of us is that we should not only report on development but take part in it… Let’s also tell the stories of our own and elevate our influence on the global stage.”
Speaking on behalf of participants, Cambodia’s Deputy Director General of Information and Broadcasting, Mr Choun ChanPrearoun commended China for strengthening cooperation with developing countries.
“We are glad that China has always opened up to us and fostered mutually beneficial partnerships with countries in the Global South. We have learnt a lot, and it will help us preserve our cultural heritage and elevate the way we tell our stories to the world.”
China is already implementing technical cooperation programmes to strengthen AI capabilities and modernise archive preservation across developing countries.
Its Digital Restoration and Enhancement of Archives and Media (DREAM) initiative, first launched in Egypt, is now being replicated in Kenya, Senegal and Benin to support historical archive restoration, audio-visual production and media asset management.
