The portrayal of Sino-Ethiopian relations in the Ethiopian media
The economic and political ties between Ethiopia and China have been tremendously strengthened over the past few years. From having a modest presence in Ethiopia until the mid-2000s, China is now engaged in a number of areas in Ethiopian development spanning from infrastructure expansion to cultural engagement. Chinese companies are commissioned to undertake massive road expansion, railway refurbishing and light rail construction, and the Ethiopian government recently secured loans from China for an expansion project of Bole International Airport which intends to make the airport in Addis Ababa a mega-hub for flights to and from Africa. In the communications sector, the Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE are contracted to build mobile phone infrastructure and broadband networks throughout the country. In the media sector, China Daily is now represented with correspondents in Addis Ababa, and the increase in use of material from Xinhua by Ethiopian News Agency has made it the most quoted foreign news agency by the official Ethiopian news provider. As a visible sign of China’s presence in Ethiopia, the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa were recently equipped with a giant outdoor LED TV screen to broadcast news by Xinhua.
The present paper investigates the developments in the portrayal of Sino-Ethiopian relations in the Ethiopian media since 2000. Two media outlets were chosen for scrutiny; the state-owned Ethiopian Herald and the privately owned Reporter, both of which are among the largest Ethiopian newspapers in their respective category. The assumption was that as an official outlet, The Ethiopian Herald would be more supportive of Chinese engagement than its private counterpart The Reporter. The material chosen for the study emanated from articles written in conjunction with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which has been held every three year since 2000. Additionally, the study included coverage of the Ethiopian ruling party’s (EPRDF’s) organizational conferences, where it passes important resolutions. Lately, the Chinese Communist Party has begun to attend the conference in person.
The results of the study shows that the two newspapers differ in the selection and salience of issues concerning Sino-Ethiopian relations. In line with the government’s interests, The Ethiopian Herald emphasizes the necessity and the favourable nature of Sino-Ethiopian relations. It provides a reinforcing cluster of themes like mutual benefit of the relations and the kindness of China to support Ethiopian development, besides emphasizing the talent of the Chinese in science and technology. The Reporter, on the other hand, although it contributes to the themes portrayed by The Ethiopian Herald, also comes up with investigative reports pointing to negative impact of Chinese commodities on local markets, unequal bargaining power between the two countries in making contracts, and a sense of undesirability of coping with the Chinese model.
Furthermore, the content of two newspapers are limited to treating only the economic aspects of the bilateral relation. Neither of the newspapers is found to pay attention to issues related to human rights and democratization.
The present paper investigates the developments in the portrayal of Sino-Ethiopian relations in the Ethiopian media since 2000. Two media outlets were chosen for scrutiny; the state-owned Ethiopian Herald and the privately owned Reporter, both of which are among the largest Ethiopian newspapers in their respective category. The assumption was that as an official outlet, The Ethiopian Herald would be more supportive of Chinese engagement than its private counterpart The Reporter. The material chosen for the study emanated from articles written in conjunction with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which has been held every three year since 2000. Additionally, the study included coverage of the Ethiopian ruling party’s (EPRDF’s) organizational conferences, where it passes important resolutions. Lately, the Chinese Communist Party has begun to attend the conference in person.
The results of the study shows that the two newspapers differ in the selection and salience of issues concerning Sino-Ethiopian relations. In line with the government’s interests, The Ethiopian Herald emphasizes the necessity and the favourable nature of Sino-Ethiopian relations. It provides a reinforcing cluster of themes like mutual benefit of the relations and the kindness of China to support Ethiopian development, besides emphasizing the talent of the Chinese in science and technology. The Reporter, on the other hand, although it contributes to the themes portrayed by The Ethiopian Herald, also comes up with investigative reports pointing to negative impact of Chinese commodities on local markets, unequal bargaining power between the two countries in making contracts, and a sense of undesirability of coping with the Chinese model.
Furthermore, the content of two newspapers are limited to treating only the economic aspects of the bilateral relation. Neither of the newspapers is found to pay attention to issues related to human rights and democratization.
Publisert i Paper presented at an international symposium on ‘China’s Soft Power in Africa: emerging media and cultural relations between China and Africa’, Ningbo, China, 2014
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