Projecting the Chinese Language as a Power Tool in the Discourse on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Vision and mission statements are mostly studied with a focus on organizations. This study moves away from the traditional approach by integrating the knowledge of vision/mission/value statements and ads on the same designated object. The organizations involved in the discourse of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC discourse) use an emergent hybrid strategy of utilizing vision/mission/value statements and ads under the umbrella of economic incentives to project the Chinese language as a power-tool in the context of CPEC. Based on the criteria/drivers for strategic communication in Zerfass et al. (2018), CPEC discourse fulfills 6/7 criteria/drivers mentioned: it is resource-driven, competition-driven, environment-driven, innovation-driven, engagement-driven, and operationally-driven. Power theory has been applied, linking the statements and ads to power discourse to find out how different themes carry an underlying power structure exercised by the stakeholders. Using thematic analysis supported by word-clouds as an analytical tool, this study finds out that the intended signaling-effect of the Chinese language in CPEC projects is received willingly by the consumers and stakeholders who, in turn, learn and promote this language as a skill/resource for employability and exertion of power. The findings show that these communicative sources can be utilized strategically in a competition-driven environment.