Media, ideology, and geopolitics: The discursive construction of China in British press amid COVID-19

Qi, Qi 2025. Media, ideology, and geopolitics: The discursive construction of China in British press amid COVID-19. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis critically analyses how specific discourses surrounding the Chinese are constructed and maintained in the British media in the context of COVID-19, with particular focus on narratives about China's response to the pandemic, vaccine development and diplomacy, as well as the laws and policies implemented in Hong Kong. Drawing on post-structuralist and hegemonic theories, it explores how ideology plays a role in the discourse construction process, including the mechanisms for framing meanings and legitimising and dominating particular viewpoints. The analysis demonstrates how the UK national press constructs a narrative that goes beyond mere public health concerns and instead situates China-related issues within a broader geopolitical and ideological context. The study employs a corpus-based critical discourse analysis approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods. It identified the linguistic patterns, narrative frames and ideological structures that underpin media portrayals of China. Through co-occurrence collocation analysis, it identifies recurring linguistic patterns and regimes of representation, providing empirical evidence of how discourse operates within broader ideological frameworks. The qualitative component further explores concordances and down-sampling, allowing for a nuanced understanding of the framing and strategies of media coverage. A key finding of the study was that narratives about the Chinese were paradoxically constructed in British media discourse. The news both depicted them as racist sufferers in the outbreak and also framed them as potentially responsible for the origins of the pandemic. Also, it is shown how the portrayal of Chinese eating practices continues the historical discourse of the exotic Orient. Another critical aspect examined is China's response to the outbreak, including its containment measures and vaccine development efforts. The results indicate that these topics are frequently politicised in British media, with dominant narratives portraying China's containment policies as an extension of authoritarian rule. Similarly, media coverage of Chinese-made vaccines reflects geopolitical competition, highlighting politically motivated vaccine diplomacy while marginalising the discussion of the Chinese vaccine donation's contribution to global iv vaccine equity. The study also examines how geopolitical tensions are mediated through discourse through the lens of Hong Kong. The UK broadsheet highlights how the Chinese government's implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law should be seen as a threat to Hong Kong's democracy and judicial independence. Furthermore, the analysis reveals how narratives depict Hong Kong's pandemic measures as further evidence of declining autonomy and increasing political repression. Interpreting these findings in the context of the historical trajectory of Sino-British relations - including Hong Kong's colonial past, ongoing economic cooperation, and geopolitical concerns - as well as in the context of ideology and nationalism within the UK, indicates that the British media, in criticising China's actions, while simultaneously using these critiques to reaffirm Britain's geopolitical identity and political position. Beyond its empirical contributions, this thesis has significant theoretical and practical implications for media and ideology studies. It highlights how power operates not solely through overt coercion but also through language, positioning the media as a site of ideological struggle. These insights are valuable for understanding Sino-British relations and the shifting global power landscape. Moreover, this study emphasises the need to engage with media coverage of geopolitical events critically.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 January 2026
Last Modified:	16 Jan 2026 16:56
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183963

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