Arabic Channel for China!

Beijing
Reader Contribution

Edited by James M. Kelly

China, second to UK to launch Arabic TV channel

To showcase the “real China” to the Middle East and North Africa, China is launching an Arabic language TV channel. In an attempt to promote state-controlled media organizations to go global, the television station will broadcast news, entertainment and cultural programs 24 hours a day.
Zhang Changming, the vice-president of CCTV stated, “It is imperative for us to be a multi-language, multi-faceted and multi-perspective broadcaster. We hope the world can know China, and China can know the rest of the world even better.” he added.
Up until now CCTV had been telecasting channels in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. From 25th July onwards, around 300 million people across 22 Arabic-speaking countries will be able to access the new Arabic channel.
However, the broadcasters have not disclosed the cost of the channels or the number of viewers as yet. It is believed, that the channel will start off with about 80 staff members, and will be taken care of by Arabic-speaking Chinese presenters.
Mr. Zhang said the actual reason, is to defy the distorted views about China, put across by various foreign broadcasters. “Our principle is to be real, to be objective, to be accurate and transparent. CCTV will present the world with the real China,” he added. However, he did not speak about the routine censoring of Chinese media outlets and the limitations they have to keep in mind while covering a story.
In the month of September, CCTV will be ready to launch a Russian-language channel as well. With the objective of promoting views of Chinese people to foreigners, the Chinese-language Global Times newspaper published an English edition in April.
China is not the only country, which is telecasting to the Middle East. UK’s BBC launched its own Arabic TV channel, funded by the public, in the preceding year.