Discursive construction of Chinese foreign policy
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Zeshun You
Abstract
The chapter carries out a diachronic analysis of the topics and schemata of foreign policy sections (FPSs) in the Chinese government’s Annual Work Report (AWR, 1993–2007) to the National People’s Congress (NPC). The analysis shows that: (1) all the reports are constructed with similar topics and schemata decided by the general rules set in the FPS of the report in 1986, which work as “orders of discourse”; (2) topical selection and schematic structure, as two sides of a mental model for the production and understanding of the discourse, are ideological mechanisms for the government to manipulate power control over policy construction and implementation; (3) the discourse is actually the final product of the struggle and interaction between new discourse and “orders of discourse”; (4) the discourse is a reflection of social changes and works as a catalyst to shape people’s view toward social reality and to mold China’s foreign policy practice.
Abstract
The chapter carries out a diachronic analysis of the topics and schemata of foreign policy sections (FPSs) in the Chinese government’s Annual Work Report (AWR, 1993–2007) to the National People’s Congress (NPC). The analysis shows that: (1) all the reports are constructed with similar topics and schemata decided by the general rules set in the FPS of the report in 1986, which work as “orders of discourse”; (2) topical selection and schematic structure, as two sides of a mental model for the production and understanding of the discourse, are ideological mechanisms for the government to manipulate power control over policy construction and implementation; (3) the discourse is actually the final product of the struggle and interaction between new discourse and “orders of discourse”; (4) the discourse is a reflection of social changes and works as a catalyst to shape people’s view toward social reality and to mold China’s foreign policy practice.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Reflections on discourse and critique in China and the West 1
- The discursive construction of the social stratification order in reforming China 19
- Institutional language as power in contemporary China 39
- A cultural political economy of transnational knowledge brands 57
- Discursive production of teaching quality assessment report 85
- Discursive construction of Chinese foreign policy 105
- The re-imagined West in Chinese television 127
-
Book review
- Tian, Hailong. Discourse Studies: Categories, Perspectives and Methodologies 145
- Index 149
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Reflections on discourse and critique in China and the West 1
- The discursive construction of the social stratification order in reforming China 19
- Institutional language as power in contemporary China 39
- A cultural political economy of transnational knowledge brands 57
- Discursive production of teaching quality assessment report 85
- Discursive construction of Chinese foreign policy 105
- The re-imagined West in Chinese television 127
-
Book review
- Tian, Hailong. Discourse Studies: Categories, Perspectives and Methodologies 145
- Index 149
