Chinese media's influence growing in 21st century

The public address system calls on passengers to board flights to Chengdu and Guangzhou. Outside shops selling duty-free Chunghwa brand cigarettes, a group of workmen are squatting to eat noodles during their lunch break. In the queue for security check, a businessman is giving instructions on his mobile in accented Putonghua. But he is from Burundi, and this is Addis Ababa airport in 2017.

Ethiopia is one of the most pronounced examples of where the Chinese century is already upon us. It will have an impact on everything; not least the media. To understand the media in the 21st century, we will all, at least figuratively, need to learn Chinese.

Traditional media are already feeling the shift. The international re-launch of CGTN - China Global Television Network - marks a turning point in international broadcast journalism. The network, still known within China as CCTV (China Central Television), is expanding its international presence. With journalists in more than 70 countries, production centers in Beijing and Washington will be joined by new studios in London and Nairobi later this year.