Return to normality? Commentary on Joe Biden, Donald Trump and the 2020 US presidential election in China Daily

Abstract

This paper examines the critical commentary on Joe Biden, Donald Trump and the 2020 United States presidential election in China’s English-language newspaper China Daily. A thematic analysis was conducted of all the relevant opinion and editorial pieces (op-eds) published in China Daily two months before and after the release of the US presidential election results. Thematic analysis showed that China Daily was highly critical of Trump, especially for politicizing the COVID-19 pandemic and exercising restrictions on China. China Daily’s attitudes towards Biden were more varied, with appraisal of Biden’s cabinet selections and suggestions for the Biden administration’s priorities. The newspaper constructed a Biden/Trump dichotomy that ultimately serves to strengthen the narrative of China as a reliable country in contrast with the hypocritical United States. China Daily situated the commentary on the 2020 US election into the discussion of political stability, the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change crisis, and frequently used strategies of othering the US and victimizing China to present China as a responsible alternative world power pursuing global cooperation and harmony.