The China Daily’s framing of THAAD deployment: “A New Cold War in East Asia”

Abstract

This study analyzed the presentations of the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) on South Korean territory by conducting a qualitative framing analysis of editorials and columns in The China Daily. This media organ of the Chinese government largely condemned the United States and South Korea as falling captive to the mindset of the Cold War. This antagonistic coverage was surely influenced by the Chinese government, which views the THAAD deployment can damage China’s national security interests. The China Daily viewed the United States as a competitor and adversary to China. According to this newspaper, the United States is eager to wage a new Cold War and refuses to consider China as a potential partner in finding a solution to the North Korean crisis. In the opinion pages of The China Daily, Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilization” paradigm is repeatedly invoked as the proper framework through which a globalized world should be viewed.