Turkey’s Perceptions of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (2013–2017): Media and Think-Tanks Discourse Analysis

China Report ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-241
Author(s):  
Nurettin Akçay ◽  
Tang Qingye
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Cognitive Differences ◽  
Negative Side ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
Geological Position

This article takes an empirical approach to Turkey’s perceptions of China’s proposal to build a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind and begin the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by examining data from Turkey’s mainstream media, think-tanks, academic and business fields, and social media sources. The findings demonstrate that, despite Turkey’s geological position, the degree of concern for a Community of a Shared Future and the BRI is not high enough. There are positive and negative evaluations. The positive evaluation is mainly related to the importance of BRI with regard to Turkey’s economy, business, infrastructure construction and the national rejuvenation, while the negative side is about China’s aim, cultural security and the disputes between the two countries. To deal with such cognitive differences, China needs to boost the publicity of the initiative and form a better understanding about Turkish domestic needs. China and Turkey should also seek to strengthen people-to-people ties.

scholarly journals Diffusion of ideas in the era of the Belt and Road: Insights from China–CEE think tank cooperation

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-436
Author(s):  
Anastas Vangeli
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Limited Impact ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

Abstract To address part of the puzzle on China’s ideational impact in the era of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the article studies social interaction of Chinese and CEE think tanks by employing the concept of diffusion of ideas. The article proposes a theoretical framework to study diffusion inspired by reflexive social science that focuses on frames, (geoeconomic) imaginaries, and translations. The asymmetrical interaction of think tanks led to aligning the frames of the different actors and producing a context of peaceful and pragmatic cooperation, extension of the geoeconomic imaginaries to include previously unorthodox positions, and translation of policy concepts that are localized in accord with the dispositions of the CEE actors involved. Nevertheless, the China–CEE think tank cooperation, when analyzed in a broader context, has relatively limited impact on societal and policy levels, and is increasingly challenged by actors with greater leverage in the region. What sustain the diffusion of ideas are the potent narratives of imagined futures of prosperity under the New Silk Roads.

scholarly journals Research on the Coverage of the Belt and Road Initiative and a Community with Shared Future for Mankind by Mainstream Media in the United States——Taking the three major mainstream media in the United States as an example

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Congjuan Yu ◽  
Jing Yan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The United States ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Wall Street Journal ◽  
The Belt And Road

Since China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative and a community with shared future for mankind, mainstream media in the United States such as The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have given continuous reports. As the world’s superpower, the United States has a developed media system and a wide range of influence. The study extracted 173 valid texts from May 2015 to March 2020, among which only 5 reports were on a community with shared future for mankind. American media mainly reported from five aspects including economy, politics, cultural, security and environment, although there is no lack of certain sounds, there was more negative reports. It can provide a reference basis for our accurate response and creating a positive international public opinion environment that grasping the reporting trends on the Belt and Road Initiative and a community with shared future for mankind accurately.

Political discourse analysis in operation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Xiuzhi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Political Discourse ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Political Discourse Analysis ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
National Newspaper ◽  
The Belt And Road

Abstract After implementing of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for four years, the Chinese government convened the BRI Summits in Beijing in 2017 and 2019, respectively. This article will address the questions of how the summits were covered in translated news by using empirical data from news published on the Reference News, a state-owned newspaper that publishes translated news, in comparison to news carried in People’s Daily, an authoritative national newspaper in China. Situated in the framework of political discourse analysis (PDA) within critical discourse analysis (CDA) and using the method of qualitative thematic analysis, the study shows that translated news is a platform where contentious ideologies are at play and where dominant ones leave little room for the confrontational. In this process, translators are submissive actors whose work is navigated by the agenda set by the authorities in either legitimizing or representing frames in mainstream media.

The Belt and Road Initiative in Australian mainstream media: Why did its narratives shift from 2013 to 2021?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1329878X2110688
Author(s):  
Yuan Jiang
Keyword(s):  
National Policy ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
China Policy ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Media Reporting ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

Compared with similar research mainly focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Australian mainstream media using discourse analysis, this paper explores the reasons for the narrative shift by conducting semi-structured interviews with leading and well-known Australian narrative producers. This paper takes two conditions as a given. Firstly, the BRI narratives in Australian mainstream media shifted in tone from mostly positive to highly critical. Secondly, the Australian mainstream media's increasingly negative attitudes towards the BRI are essentially not just about the BRI but the Chinese government. Based on my analysis and interviews, this paper makes contributions by filling in the gap of finding out reasons to explain this narrative shift. More concretely, this paper finds out that while mainstream media is influential in many areas of national policy making, mainstream media reporting on foreign affairs is less so. By comparison, the Australian government's BRI or China policy has a significant impact on Australian mainstream media reporting. This narrative shift has been driven by international politics and Australia's China policy, influenced by Australian audiences’ preference of local news and their local position, and its democratic responsibilities. Meanwhile, the vagueness and constant changing characteristics of the BRI do not help the understanding of the BRI in Australian media.

scholarly journals China–Africa Education Cooperation: From FOCAC to Belt and Road

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-234
Author(s):  
Kenneth King
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Belt And Road

Purpose: The article discusses the relationship between the human resource traditions of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and those supported by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and in particular by the Education Action Plan for the Belt and Road Initiative, issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2016. Design/Approach/Methods: The article draws upon discourse analysis of both the FOCAC VI and VII documents and the key MOE 2016 Action Plan. Findings: Given the trans-continental coverage of the BRI, it is suggested that its ambitious pledges in respect of education and human resource development (HRD) actually complement or even exceed the commitments made by FOCAC VI and VII. Originality/Value: This is the first article explicitly to compare the HRD pledges of FOCAC with those associated with BRI’s Education Action Plan.

The construction of Singapore's mainstream Chinese media on OBOR: based on a discourse analysis of Zaobao

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-171
Author(s):  
Xiangyi Li ◽  
Zhiting Wen
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Media Framing ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Chinese Media ◽  
Content Type ◽  
One Belt One Road ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

PurposeSince One Belt One Road (OBOR) was proposed, Singaporean sides have reacted differently. Based on the case of Zaobao, the authors develop the theoretical frame including international relations, agenda setting and media framing, analyzing the construction of textual materials on OBOR and its influencing factors.Design/methodology/approachIn this sense, this paper attempts to use Zaobao's texts on OBOR from 2015 to 2017 as textual materials, by using the discourse analysis method and combining the theories of international relations, agenda setting and media framing, to explore the following two relevant questions: How does the mainstream Chinese media of Singapore construct OBOR issue? What factors influence this kind of construction?FindingsThe study finds that agendas setting on OBOR are diversified in the purpose of supporting official position and meeting audiences' expectations, which are constrained by the factors such as international situations, regional strategies, national interests and domestic politics. The authors learn more details about hidden and vague thoughts on OBOR from all sides in Singapore through this discourse analysis.Originality/valueIn summary, the academic community has a certain foundation for the study of the cognition of the “Belt and Road” initiative. However, compared with the other countries' research on the Belt and Road cognition, the research on Singapore is insufficient. Singapore is an important hub for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. At the same time, as a leader of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), it has a strong appeal and influence in other ASEAN countries. It has also played a pivotal role in building the “Belt and Road”. However, the “Belt and Road” initiative has been proposed and implemented for five years. The research on Singapore's cognition and reaction of the “Belt and Road” initiative is still insufficient. Therefore, an in-depth study of Singapore's cognition of the ‘Belt and Road” initiative has significant academic and applied value. This paper attempts to explore the construction of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative by Singapore's official media to make up for the shortcomings of existing research.

scholarly journals The Change of Western Cognition of “the Belt and Road” and China's Guiding Strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangyue Li
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
The West ◽  
Cognitive Differences ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
The Belt And Road

"The Belt and Road" is a national top-level cooperation initiative proposed by China with the goal of establishing "a community with a shared future for mankind" and transcending geopolitics and ideology to achieve win-win results. Around "the Belt and Road", the West has formed positive cognition such as "Chinese Opportunity", "Channel to Realize Ideal Goals", "Oriental Leading Model", and "Global Sample". However, due to the limitations of "stereotypes" and "zero-sum thinking", some people in the West still have misunderstandings about "the Belt and Road Initiative". To guide them out of cognitive misunderstandings and reduce the cognitive differences between China and the West, we can start from cognitive theory, analyze cognitive performance and its causes, and adopt corresponding strategies and methods.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document