China Media Group Signs “China Theater” Broadcasting Agreement with Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise

On July 19, 2018, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), or CMG, and Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (塞內加爾國家電視台), or RTS, signed a framework agreement in Dakar to establish a “China Theater” (中國劇場) programming block on RTS, according to a report by international radio broadcaster China Radio International (中國國際廣播電台), or CRI. Gao Shijun (高世軍), head of CMG’s Western Europe bureau (西歐總站), signed on behalf of CMG, while RTS president Racine Talla signed for the Senegalese side. Under the agreement, RTS agreed to broadcast French-dubbed Chinese dramas, documentaries, feature films, and animation produced or translated by CMG. The signing took place at the launch ceremony of the “Chinese Film and Television Africa Screening Plan” (中國影視非洲放映計劃), attended by Zhang Yanbin (張雁彬), special representative of China’s State Council Information Office, who said in remarks that the initiative was timed to coincide with an upcoming state visit by President Xi Jinping to Senegal, and described it as a vehicle for “people-to-people connectivity” as promoted by the Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路). China’s ambassador to Senegal, Zhang Xun (張迅), also attended, framing the programming block as a contribution to “civilizational exchange” between China and Africa.