Arab nations interested in Chinese news tie-ups

TELEVISION programmes from China are increasingly finding an audience in Arab nations, with a growing number keen to source original content, officials said last week.

Interest in original content programmes like China’s V-Day parade on September 3 was particularly high among viewers in countries in Tunisia and Egypt as they were able to witness the event live on their television sets, thanks to the signals aired by the Beijing-based CCTV News Content Co Ltd.

According to officials, interest in China-centred programmes has peaked after the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping two years ago. The trade initiative runs through most of the Arab nations that were once part of the historic Silk Route and seeks to foster better relations and infrastructure connectivity among countries.

Speaking at the China-Arabian countries broadcasting and TV cooperation forum held in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Wednesday, Tong Gang, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said that many TV stations in China have established cooperation mechanisms with their Arabian counterparts.

“The administration has signed cooperation agree?ments with 10 Arab nations, including Egypt, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” he said.