With the relations between China and Africa becoming increasingly closer, people-to-people contacts and exchanges are also strengthening. Consequently, each year, when the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, and the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, hold their annual sessions - known as the "two sessions" or the lianghui in Chinese - the presence of a cohort of African journalists is one of the remarkable features.

This year, more than 20 African journalists have the chance to attend the lianghui. Marthe Lucienne Kamano from Guinea, West Africa, is one of them.

"Though China is far from Guinea, Guineans want to know about China," said Kamano, who works with Sabari FM 97.3, a radio station in Guinea. "There are many Chinese and Chinese enterprises in our country. I am very pleased that I can get authoritative information on China from this platform [the lianghui ]."

Kamano has come to China thanks to a training program for African journalists organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association, a prominent Chinese NGO. More than 20 journalists from the mainstream media in African countries are invited to China for a 10-month professional training program, which includes classroom teaching, spot interviews and an internship with the Chinese media. This is the third year of the program.

Kamano said Guinean listeners are very interested in China's rapidly growing economy, long history and rich culture. She hopes to transmit first-hand news on China to her Guinean listeners.

On March 2, a day before this year's CPPCC National Committee session started, Kamano dispatched two reports to Guinea. "The information I get from China's main news channels is invaluable for Guineans since instead of learning about China from the foreign media, they get a direct channel to know the real China," she said.

The West African journalist expressed satisfaction with the arrangements for the media at the lianghui, especially the facilities for conducting interviews. "It is well organized and I can get the information I want," she told ChinAfrica. "Simultaneous English interpretation is provided at the important press conferences, which is helpful for foreign reporters."

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