Editor's note: This article is part of the Preview Policy Report for the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to be published by China Watch, China Daily's think tank.

In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid official visits to four African countries, harvesting the fruits of not only the trade relationship but also cultural exchanges. The people of China and African countries have never been closer. China and African countries have long had cultural festivals and civil exchanges, both officially and unofficially. For example, Spring Festival celebrations enjoy great popularity in many African countries.

Since the 18thNational Congress of the CPC, over 100 people-to-people exchange events have been held, and more than 200 cooperation projects executed. And the upgraded mobile internet technology has set the scene for a new stage.

In this process, Chinese enterprises have made tremendous contributions to boost Sino-African economic and cultural exchanges, especially the mobile internet has emerged as an effective tool to strengthen channels of communication. Companies in telecommunication technology added cultural and entertainment dimensions as well as hi-tech to the industries, providing new scope for cultural collaboration.

Although Africa has nearly 345 million internet users and the internet penetration rate has reached 27.7 percent, the development of digital entertainment in the continent still lags way behind China because of low spending on research and development, and lack of innovation. For example, the most-used function of smart phones in South Africa is still “communication”, in stark contrast to the variety of entertainment apps on Chinese digital devices. Therefore, the emergence of the digital entertainment industry will add vitality to the African economy, and is also conducive to the preservation and spread of traditional African culture.

Back in 2014, the robust momentum of the mobile internet took it to Africa, where the demand for the latest technology keeps growing. Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, many hi-tech companies came to Africa, including RockyMobi. We conducted wide surveys in different countries and decided to embark on our African journey from South Africa. We have taken advantages of our bountiful resources–for example, we own the global copyright of most programs of China Global Television Network，broadcast in Africa via mobile video product.

One of the most distinct features of digitalized entertainment industry is unprecedented accessibility and scope for expansion. Almost all traditional entertainment content could be transformed to digital forms, which, popular among young people, open up new markets for traditional cultural products. Riding this trend, RockyMobi has covered about 20 percent of South African users with four major products–film and television, games, reading and tool applications, and set up more offices in Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, and Kenya.

Better telecommunications infrastructure brought opportunity for the digitalized entertainment industry. For example, the average network speed in South Africa has improved to 9.93 Mbps. But the room for development is still big. For instance, South Africa plans to increase its 4G/LTE coverage to 35-53 percent in 2019 while China's 4G coverage had already reached 40 percent in 2016.The cost of internet access in Africa can further be cut. If internet costs can be reduced, the number of mobile users will grow faster, which would in turn infuse vitality to its digital cultural industries. Take broadband access for example. South Africa currently has the highest broadband access rate at $7.6 per GB, followed by Kenya at $4.9, Nigeria at $3.1, Tanzania and Ghana at $2.3, and Egypt at $1.2 per GB. The key to the development of the digital entertainment industry is low cost and high speed mobile internet.

To sum up, the outlook for the digital entertainment culture industry in Africa will be promising if internet fees continue to fall and infrastructure continues to be upgraded, especially with the advent of the 5G era. The potential of cultural market will be unlocked, bringing more opportunity for cooperation and adding diversity for China and Africa.

Tian Ning is the founder, chairman and CEO of Zhejiang Panshi Information & Technology Co Ltd. The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

All rights reserved. Copying or sharing of any content for other than personal use is prohibited without prior written permission.