China’s Strategic Narratives in Global Governance Reform under Xi Jinping

Abstract

ABSTRACT Beijing has long sought to shape global narratives about China. The Xi Jinping administration not only continued that effort but also added an entirely new dimension: it now seeks to use discourse power, particularly through formulating and promoting strategic narratives, to reshape the international system itself. Drawing upon social identity theory (SIT) and strategic narratives framework, this study shows that Beijing employs a multifaceted narrative strategy to redefine existing norms or create new ones in varied global governance domains. A theoretical framework is presented to explain the strategy and subsequently applied to illustrate China’s strategic narratives at the international system level and in three global governance areas, i.e., climate change, human rights, and Internet governance.