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Over the past two years, audiovisual and cultural exchange between China and African countries has reached an unprecedented level of two-way engagement. According to the latest figures disclosed by Chinese state media, more than 80 Chinese film and television works have aired across multiple African countries since 2024, while more than 80 programs from 29 African countries have in turn been broadcast on major Chinese television channels and streaming platforms, bringing the culture, people and natural landscapes of the African continent to Chinese audiences. This picture of two-way cultural exchange was on full display at the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum, which opened in Beijing on August 20, 2026, bringing together representatives from China and 45 African countries who jointly witnessed the announcement of the results of 80 China-Africa radio, film and television innovation cooperation projects.

Amid a wave of Chinese content going global, a range of Chinese television dramas and animated series spanning different genres have won broad attention from African audiences. The science-fiction drama "The Three-Body Problem" (三体), with its sweeping worldbuilding and hard-science premise, has drawn considerable interest from science-fiction fans in Africa; "My Altay" (我的阿勒泰), which portrays nomadic life and personal growth in Xinjiang, has moved many viewers with its delicate regional flavor and emotional depth; and the animated series "Growth Diary" (天天成长记), aimed at younger viewers, has aired on children's channels in several African countries and become part of daily viewing for many African families. Spanning science fiction, rural life and family-oriented programming, these works together illustrate the diverse ways in which China's television industry is now reaching African markets.

In the other direction, African voices and imagery are increasingly reaching screens in Chinese households as well. The documentary "Into Africa's Mysteries" (走进非洲秘境) uses aerial footage and on-the-ground reporting to showcase the continent's natural ecosystems and wildlife, while "Burundi: Echoes of the Sacred Drum" (布隆迪：圣鼓回响) focuses on Burundi's traditional sacred drum culture, introducing Chinese audiences to an art form inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. According to available figures, roughly 30 new African audiovisual works — including productions from Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda — were introduced to the Chinese market in 2026 alone, a snapshot of the steadily warming pace of China-Africa people-to-people exchange in recent years.

Beyond one-way imports, China and African countries have jointly produced roughly 50 co-produced audiovisual programs in recent years, directly combining creative teams and resources from both sides. Among them, the television drama "Welcome to Milele Village" (欢迎来到麦乐村), which tells the story of a Chinese medical team working in an African village, stands as a representative achievement — set against the backdrop of real China-Africa medical cooperation, it depicts the deep bonds formed between people of the two sides in daily life. Such co-productions not only enrich the narrative perspective of the works themselves but also give film and television professionals from both sides a long-term, stable framework for cooperation.

To further promote outstanding African audiovisual works in China, China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) launched the "Wonderful Africa" (精彩非洲) African audiovisual programming showcase, carefully selecting 30 representative works from 20 African countries — including Cameroon, Nigeria, Burundi, Kenya and Madagascar — for concentrated presentation to Chinese audiences on television and online platforms. The showcase is regarded as an important step by Chinese authorities to systematically bring African film and television content into the Chinese market, laying the groundwork for the normalization of China-Africa audiovisual cooperation going forward.

Alongside this "bringing in," Chinese local media outlets have also been accelerating efforts to "go out." On June 26, 2026, the Audiovisual China·Africa Hubei Media Week opened in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, drawing more than 130 delegates from China's and Kenya's broadcasting, online audiovisual and news publishing industries and related enterprises. The event was guided by China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) and the Hubei Provincial People's Government, and co-organized by the Publicity Department of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Hubei Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, showcasing Hubei's cultural appeal and telling China's stories through exhibitions, screenings and sales, industry matchmaking and people-to-people exchange. A featured "Jingchu Audiovisual" showcase brought together 468 items from 43 Hubei media institutions, spanning broadcasting, news publishing, film and animation, audiovisual technology and cultural IP. China and Kenya also signed multiple cooperation agreements covering audiovisual content creation, program distribution, copyright cooperation and film production, with several Hubei-produced documentaries set to air in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and other countries — another concrete example of two-way China-Africa audiovisual exchange being put into practice at the local level.

The latest achievements in China-Africa audiovisual exchange were showcased at the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum, which opened in Beijing on August 20. The forum was co-hosted by China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), the Beijing Municipal People's Government and the African Union of Broadcasting, and organized by the Beijing Radio and Television Bureau, under the theme "Sharing New Development Opportunities, Co-creating a New Future for Audiovisual," highlighting three areas of focus: using radio, film and television to promote people-to-people exchange, empower economic and trade cooperation, and drive youth exchange. The gathering brought together roughly 400 delegates from broadcasting regulators, audiovisual media organizations, international bodies, diplomatic missions, enterprises and universities and think tanks in China and 45 African countries, including 33 ministerial-level guests from African countries — a record turnout for the forum series. At the event, organizers formally announced the results of 80 China-Africa radio, film and television innovation cooperation projects, covering areas such as joint content production, platform and channel building, and talent training.

During the forum, participants also jointly released the "Joint Declaration of the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum." According to the declaration, China and African countries will strengthen news cooperation to jointly present a true, multidimensional and comprehensive picture of China-Africa development to the international community; deepen content cooperation to tell vivid stories of China-Africa friendly exchanges and shared development; and strengthen youth talent exchange to build a talent foundation for China-Africa media cooperation. The release of the declaration, alongside the rollout of the 80 cooperation projects, marks a shift in China-Africa media cooperation from early-stage content imports toward a deeper, more institutionalized and regularized form of collaboration.

The continued warming of China-Africa audiovisual exchange cannot be separated from the broader deepening of people-to-people cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) framework. Since FOCAC's founding in 2000, the two sides have increasingly emphasized exchange in education, health and cultural media alongside traditional cooperation areas such as infrastructure and trade and investment, with the two-way flow of audiovisual content a concrete expression of this trend. Analysts say that as a cultural medium closest to ordinary people's daily lives, film and television works can foster mutual understanding between the Chinese and African peoples in a more direct and emotionally resonant way, providing a firmer foundation of public sentiment and social support for cooperation between the two sides in the political and economic spheres.

From the buzz generated by "The Three-Body Problem" and "My Altay" on African screens, to works like "Burundi: Echoes of the Sacred Drum" bringing the African continent to Chinese viewers, to the unveiling of 80 cooperation projects at the Beijing forum, China-Africa audiovisual and cultural exchange is moving from scattered content exports toward a more systematic, institutionalized pattern of two-way interaction. As more showcases like "Wonderful Africa" and local media exchange activities continue to unfold, this people-to-people exchange linked by cameras and screens between China and Africa is expected to keep expanding in the years ahead.