3rd BRICS Media Summit Held in South Africa

On July 19, 2018, Xinhua News Agency (新华通讯社) and South Africa’s Independent Media co-hosted the 3rd BRICS Media Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. According to Xinhua sources, the event reportedly attracted attendance from 48 mainstream media organizations from the five BRICS countries and African nations, though Independent Online confirmed “38 mainstream media organisations from the BRICS bloc as well as African countries” attended. Xinhua reported that African media representatives expressed “expectations for strengthening cooperation with BRICS countries’ media” (期待与金砖国家媒体加强合作). A representative from Kenya’s The Standard (旗帜报) was quoted as saying that “Africa has its own stories to tell the world” (非洲有自己的故事要向世人讲述), echoing narratives promoted by Chinese media about African storytelling. The forum adopted the Cape Town Declaration 2018, which established commitments for content sharing and creating “a united news service between the various BRICS news services.”