China Holds Friendship Media Awards in Zambia

On December 12, 2017, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia held the first “China-Zambia Friendship Media Awards” (中贊友好媒體表彰會) in Lusaka, attended by Ambassador Yang Youming (楊優明), Minister of Information and Media Kampamba Mulunga, and approximately 150 representatives. The event recognized ten individuals and nine organizations with awards for “Media Excellence,” aimed at honoring those who promote mutual understanding through “active and objective reporting” (積極客觀報道) on the “China-Zambia traditional friendship” (中贊傳統友誼). In Communist Party discourse, “friendship” (友好) carries explicit political expectations of alignment with China’s positions, often fostered through institutional proxies to project unity while conditioning relationships on the accommodation of China’s core interests. Ambassador Yang encouraged journalists to capture China’s “ever-changing development” and provide “positive energy” (正能量) for bilateral relations, a term that directly references domestic news control policies requiring the press to support the Party’s image and stability. The embassy published the official report on December 13, 2017.