A Study on the Theoretical Framework of Discourse Analysis of China’s Response to Sino-US Trade Frictions

Abstract

This paper selects the reports on Sino-US trade friction published by People’s Daily from August 2, 2019, when the United States announced that it would impose tariffs on Chinese goods exported to the United States, until the end of September 2019. Based on Zang Guoren’s news framework theory, this paper used the method of content analysis and framework analysis to analyze the four aspects of news source, reporting theme, schema structure, and reporting tendency. This paper analyzes the characteristics of the news framework constructed by People’s Daily under the publication strategy of Sino-US trade friction news reports. People’s Daily constructs the basic framework of news report with the main body showing the evaluation of China’s tariff increase policy of the United States. The theme of this paper is to focus on the ways in which China’s mainstream media People’s Daily reports Sino-US trade frictions, and find out the fundamental differences between China and the United States in the process of analyzing relevant news reports. People’s Daily attaches great importance to the expression of Chinese speech position in terms of news report selection strategy, focusing on dialogue, cooperation, and discourse communication, supplemented by criticism and refutation, focusing on the future prospects of Sino-US economic and trade relations, and emphasizing “speech communication” more than “counter action.” The related reports on Sino-US trade frictions in People’s Daily retrieved in this paper reflect China’s strong confidence in its own economic development strength in the face of the trade crisis brought about by the arbitrary imposition of tariffs by the United States. It also emphasizes the principle of “reasonable, advantageous, and prudent” adopted by China’s counter-measures, highlighting China’s desire to actively engage in equal and effective dialogue with the U.S., and expressing the Chinese government’s willingness to actively resolve Sino-US trade frictions under the premise of “mutual benefit and win-win results.”