Features of Chinese Media Coverage of the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine

Abstract

With the beginning of the SMO in Ukraine, the world media began to actively publish news about the events taking place. China was no exception. Information from both sides of the military conflict is carefully analyzed by the Chinese audience, raising many questions about the smallest details of the Russian military operation. The relevance of the work lies in the fact that for the first time the key aspects of the media influence of the Chinese media on public opinion in the initial period of the Northern Military District were analyzed, when news from the battlefield was covered on media platforms both by the journalists themselves and by participants in the events equipped with smartphones. The emerging phrase “WarTok” began to mean posting the latest events from the battlefield and comments on them on the TikTok platform. The study took into account both the official media coverage of the SMO and the attitude of Chinese new media towards this event. The development of a special military operation as a media event was carried out by comparing the information index with the search index, as well as by comparing keyword searches and citations. The study revealed a trend of changes in the attitude of the Chinese media and the Internet community to this event, and the acceptance of the Russian position by the Chinese media community. Three Weibo accounts were studied (Russian Embassy in China, Ukrainian Embassy in China and Russia Today). Based on the results of the study, it can be stated that the term “Russian-Ukrainian conflict” has become established in the media field of the PRC, and the attitude of the Chinese audience to Russia’s actions is assessed as positive. On the one hand, this is due to the official position of the Chinese government itself, on the other, the Russian Federation has successfully used Chinese social networks for close and effective interaction with the Chinese media community, and, unlike the situation in Western social networks, has taken control of this discourse. The emerging media agenda, with social media becoming the main battleground for public opinion, is forcing the journalistic community to recognize the particular importance of state ownership and control of new media platforms during the unfolding media wars.