Ideological Attitudes in the US-China Diplomatic Spat over COVID-19: A Synergy of Socio-Cognitive Approach and Appraisal Theory

Abstract

The outbreak of the Covid-19 has caused diplomatic discrepancies between the US and China. Therefore, this paper offers an exploration of how the appraisal theory by Martin and White (2005) might be operationalized critically and linguistically with the socio-cognitive approach (2011) inspired by van Dijk. These theories are interrelated to make the analysis of the ideological attitudes over Covid-19 outbreak among the high-ranking administration more explicit. The researcher thus qualitatively scrutinizes the statements used by US and Chinese officials in tweets and press conferences during March 2020 to identify the factors motivating the use of knowledge, attitudes, power and deep-rooted ideologies which underlie this war of words. The results of this research show that Donald Trump tactfully used language to accomplish his political objectives. The researcher thus concludes that Donald Trump has promoted racist ideologies that discriminate against Chinese individuals through the depiction of Covid-19 as ‘Chinese Virus’. This is evident in the ideological structures of his coronavirus-related press conferences and tweets. Although neither country (China or the USA) has yet been able to provide sufficient evidence to determine the origin of the virus, China has been largely accused of delaying the release of information. What’s more, it is found that the speeches made by official leaders have been significantly influenced by their sociocultural and sociopolitical backgrounds.