Discourse interactions in world politics: the dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands

Abstract

Discourse, as a constructive power, plays a significant role in world politics. Rather than focusing on the formation or transformation of a single discourse, we investigate discourse interaction in the context of multiple competing discourses. Based on the theories of discourse interaction, this study analyses the realist dimension of discourse by examining the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands and shows how the two countries use discourses to pursue their own security and respective realist interests. This analysis identifies five major controversies in the two countries’ discourses on their claims of sovereignty over the islands and demonstrates that each of the two states uses both complementary and competing discourses to strengthen its own stance and delegitimize the other’s claims. The theoretical analysis of discourse interaction not only contributes to the growing research on discourse practices in IR, but also has important implications for practice-oriented strategic communication.

Notes

1 The islands are called Senkaku-shoto in Japanese and Diaoyu Dao in Chinese. The names of the islands are listed in this article according to alphabetical order in English. One anonymous referee states that as the islands are presently under Japanese administrative control, the Japanese name should be set forth first. The author prefers the alphabetical order to retain neutrality. Obviously, readers may adopt either order. The anonymous referee further suggests using ‘the Pinnacle Islands’ for neutrality. However, ‘the Pinnacle Islands’ is not as neutral as it looks. ‘Prinnacle’ is a direct translation of the Japanese term ‘senkaku’ (尖閣).

2 The Diaoyu/Senkaku islands consist of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Island, eight affiliated major islands, and reefs. On September 10, 2012, the Japanese government decided to purchase the Diaoyu/Senkaku Island and two of its affiliated islets from a private owner living in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The phrase ‘nationalization of the islands’ is officially used by both the Chinese and the Japanese governments and appears in the media.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yida Zhai

Yida Zhai is an Assistant Professor in the School of International and Public Affairs at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received his PhD from the University of Tokyo. His research interests include political psychology, public opinion, and discourse analysis. His work has been published in Issues & Studies, International Studies Review, Pacific Review, and other Chinese and Japanese journals. E-mail: [email protected]