Pakistan has granted permission for China’s state broadcaster CCTV and documentary channel CCTV-9 to be transmitted in the country.

The Pakistan Television Foundation (PTV) has been awarded the landing rights to transmit the two state owned Chinese channels, which has come at a time of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

The new channels will help to solidify China’s presence in Pakistan’s media landscape and follows the launch of the Dosti Radio Channel in 2012, which was launched to encourage stronger cultural bonds as the countries embarked on the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

China will now assist Pakistan with the process of digitalisation according to the Associated Press of Pakistan, with pilot projects already taking place in Murree.