Namibia-China relations are moving beyond trade and diplomacy.
This time around, the focus is the newsroom, the cultural space, and people-to-people ties.
Chinese Jiangxi Province brings its culture to Namibia, and media leaders on both sides are calling for cooperation and African control over the stories that shape the continent's image.
This comes as Jiangxi, a province in China, together with the New Era Publication Corporation, launched its "Jiangxi Culture Goes to International Sister Cities" programme.
The initiative is also being used to strengthen cooperation between African and Chinese media and think tanks.
For Jiangxi, the programme provides an opportunity to introduce Namibians to the province's history, culture and traditions, while creating opportunities for direct interaction between people from the two countries.
China's Ambassador to Namibia, Zhao Wieping, described the programme as part of wider efforts to strengthen friendship and understanding between Namibia and China.
"This event is particularly meaningful as it comes shortly after the successful state visit to China by Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa, President of the Republic of Namibia, in July. During the visit, His Excellency President Xi Jinping and Her Excellency President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era and reached important consensus on promoting cooperation across a wide range of areas."
The China-Africa Mainstream Media and Think Tank High-Level Dialogue brings together media practitioners, academics, think tanks, government representatives, and other stakeholders to discuss the future of communication and cooperation between China and Africa.
The Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology Wenzel Kavaka says this cooperation is necessary as the global information environment continues to change.
"Young and future journalists present here today, please bear in mind that Africa is not merely a continent to be spoken about. Africa must speak for itself. Africa must tell its own story. Africa must participate meaningfully in shaping the global conversation. And for Namibia, this is particularly important."
Kavaka says media cooperation should also help Africa take control of its own narrative.
That concern over how Africa is represented internationally is also shared by the editor-in-chief of New Era Publication Corporation.
Maletsky says stories from the Global South, including Namibia, have for years been filtered through external perspectives.
"Whoever controls the narrative controls the future. It is not just an initiative between politicians and industrial giants. It is a living, breathing collaboration that is fundamentally reshaping how Namibian and African media operate, innovate and connect to the world."
One of the institutions involved is Jiangxi Daily Media Group, also known as Jiangxi Daily Press.