It us interesting that BBC, TV5 of France, and CNN have existed for a long time in Africa, usually occupying prime-time slots . Then the convenient newspaper stands spread in almost all African cities with French and English newspapers, magazines and journals such as Guardian, Time, Jeune Afrique, etc., transported from European metropolitan countries. Moreover, there are African newspapers which copy news or opinions about China from European counterparts, either for the shortage of money, or channels or sources of news. This is a natural phenomenon with the historical heritage of colonial linkage, as well as in the period of globalisation.

As for China, it is another story. There has been a great criticism from the West that China only emphasised summit diplomacy, or governmental contact, while neglecting contact in other fields and especially the exchange with African local people. Yet when China just started to set up its stand in Africa, began to express itself in its own way, there is again criticism. It is right that with more and more economic cooperation, exchange of other fields gets more and more frequent. Now there is an African Students Association in Peking University, and an African diaspora in Guangzhou, and I even once had a personal interview by a South African TV reporter in Beijing. Cultural exchange is getting more frequent, and we should encourage this media exchange.

China has long been painted as a human rights abuser. During the 2000s, there were so many negative pictures in the Western media regarding China-African relations, such as 'scramble for Africa,' 'neo-clonialism,' 'economic imperialism', etc. And China has been described as a authoritarian monster years ago and is still criticised today by the West who likes to be the master and preacher, yet China is still progressing with its own pace.

On May 13, 2000, The Economist published a special issue on the African situation with the humiliating title 'The Hopeless Continent.' [5] Yet this bad press could not hinder the progress of the Africa, and the continent has been going forward with its own speed and rhythm. The situation in Africa changed the tone of the press, so that at the end of last year, The Economist published another article entitled 'The Hopeful Continent: Africa Rising.' [6] Therefore, it seems that the effect of the media is not that important, and it could be changed by the situation.

There is no doubt that the Chinese Government is eager to balance the international media in the coverage of Chinese image, as correctly pointed out by Yoon June Park and Deborah Brautigam in their letters to the Google email group, and this approach is becoming more and more urgent for Beijing's strategy of engagement in Africa. Yet is the issue that important? In an early article, I once pointed out that the most important is to do the right thing. If you are doing the right thing and take responsible action, you do not have to worry about what others talk about you. [7] Yet the strategy of public diplomacy becomes an important tool in the creation of a positive image of China abroad, 'soft power,' a concept coined by Joseph Nye, started to spread. Later, it is introduced into the government document and many articles are published on the issue. [8] Yet I am opposed to the usage of the expression by the Chinese Government.