Whose event? Official versus journalistic framing of the fifth Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC V)

The article contributes to the fledgling literature in the China–Africa communications field by approaching the topic from the perspective of an event – the fifth conference of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC V). It proposes that by analysing FOCAC V specifically, and the FOCAC phenomenon generally, new and interesting insights might be gained into the interests of the various players – namely, Chinese officials, African officials and the African media. It also contributes new perspectives in leveraging the framing of a communication theory as a means of drilling down to the motivations, tensions, confluences and divergences inherent in the China–Africa relations – a transnational engagement that continues to draw animated discussions and debate in and out of academia.