Official Chinese media representations of US business, 1979–2011: A text mining approach

Abstract

How have three decades of change in Chinese society, business, and politics influenced its official media coverage of emerging partnerships and interactions with US business? This question was explored through text mining and semantic network analysis of 929 articles in China Daily and Xinhua News Service, from 1979 through 2011. The articles were examined via cluster analysis (grouping news stories with similar coverage) and factor analysis (revealing themes for each cluster). Four clusters of stories emerged, suggesting phases in Sino-American trade relations: 1979–1983 (emergence of basic principles), 1984–1987 (delicate balance between trade and politics), 1988–2002 (maturation of relations with American business), and 2003–2011 (tensions following China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization). Factor analysis revealed 17 themes throughout the period. A sense of historical inevitability surrounded China’s progress from the periphery to the core of globalization, while the US moved from sole player to one of many partners for China.