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America the Failure? Critical Narratives of the United States in Chinese State Media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2025

Christopher Carothers  and
Joshua B. Freedman
Christopher Carothers*
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Joshua B. Freedman
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Christopher Carothers; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

As relations between the United States and China have grown tenser, how has the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) portrayal of the United States changed? And what might portrayals of the United States tell us about domestic messaging in China? This study systematically investigates CCP messaging about the United States in the contemporary era. To do this, we hand code, categorize and analyse 1,761 editorials about the United States published between 2003 and 2022 in People's Daily, the Party's flagship newspaper. In addition to showing a sustained rise in critical portrayals since 2018, we identify and elaborate three distinct critical narratives about the United States: it is a dangerous hegemon abroad, it has poor values at home, and it is increasingly weak and in decline. These narratives appear both independently and in combination and are often framed to contrast with portrayals of China. We argue that these narratives are not just negative propaganda to discredit the United States but can also be a strategy to promote a positive vision of the CCP's virtues and governance at home. This study contributes empirically and theoretically to research on propaganda and legitimation in China.

摘要

摘要

随着中美关系日趋紧张，中国共产党对美国的描述发生了怎样的变化？其对美国的描述又能揭示中国国内宣传的哪些特点？本研究系统调查了当代中共关于美国的宣传内容。为此，我们手动编码、分类并分析了从 2003 年至 2022 年间中共党媒《人民日报》的 1761 篇关于美国的评论。我们发现, 自 2018 年以来对美国的批判性描述持续增多。此外，我们还辨识并详细阐述了三种不同的批判性叙事：美国是国际上的危险霸权国家；其国内价值观低劣；其国力日渐衰弱。这些叙事既可以独立出现，也可以组合呈现，且通常与对中国的描述形成对比。我们认为，这些关于美国的官方叙事不仅是为了抹黑美国的负面宣传，还可能是一种宣扬中共优越性与治理能力的策略。本研究为中国的宣传与合法化研究提供了经验和理论贡献。

Keywords

Chinese Communist PartyPeople's Dailypropagandaanti-Americanism中国共产党人民日报宣传反美主义
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , First View , pp. 1 - 17
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

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