Chinese firm to launch Africa weekly on Friday

A leading Chinese newspaper will on Friday launch a weekly covering Africa.

The China Daily announced that the English language newspaper will be published in Nairobi.

China Daily’s editor-in-chief Zhu Ling said the paper would seek to demystify the Sino-African relations that were growing in complexity.

“The link between China and the African continent is one of the most significant relationships in the world today. It is growing and complex and not always understood — not just by those in other parts of the world but by Africans and Chinese, too,” he said, adding that the launch of the English paper would help improve understanding of the two cultures.

It will look at the nature of Chinese involvement in Africa and the prominent role many Africans are playing in China.

According to a statement released by the publishers, the weekly will be circulated throughout the continent. It will also be available in digital format.

Information minister Samuel Poghisio said the publication would provide a platform for both Africans and the Chinese to understand each other better.

China’s ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan said the newspaper will further strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the Chinese and Africans.

Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo said the weekly would be a good communication platform between the Chinese and Africans.

The Chinese minister of the State Council Information Office, Mr Wang Chen, said the publication would spread China’s voice and help strengthen friendship between the Chinese and Africans.

The director of the United Nations Development Programme in China, Mr Christophe Bahuet, welcomed the move to launch the weekly.

The China Daily Group, which owns the publication, said it has firmly established itself as the leading English language news organisation in China since its establishment in 1981.