Towards a Long-Term Sino-US Relationship: Implications and Potential Solutions of the Future Chinese Media Strategy for Global Speech Power

Abstract

This paper focuses on the US-China public opinion confrontation primarily from the standpoint of how China might manage its image-building and global discourse intervention given its ongoing quest for global speech dominance. From the Chinese perspective, there are problems to be solved, including the inconsistency of the content of the world’s media, the focus on one ideology over others, the hostile nature of diplomatic responses, and the fragility of the state-owned media platform. In light of China’s comparative weakness with the US in the war for hearts and minds, this essay explores China’s potential remedies. It concludes that China may aim to increase the weight and proportion of global discourse while also carefully utilising foreign culture and propaganda language. China may simultaneously intensify unfavourable public perceptions of its rivals based on algorithms learned from global platforms, while also working with mainstream media to advance its global coverage and conform to its overall policy objective.