“Public goods” or “diplomatic tools”: a framing research on Chinese and American media reports regarding Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

Abstract

This study aims to conduct a framing analysis of Chinese and American media coverage of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine. Since 2021, China exports or donates vaccines to developing countries, arousing the attention of Chinese and American media. The competition between China and the USA over national image extends to the vaccine field. Media framing is a powerful tool to construct a national image. It is worth comparing how Chinese and American media use framings to construct national images on vaccine issues. This study conducts a framing analysis of news coverage in People’s Daily (PD) and The New York Times (NYT) on Chinese COVID-19 vaccine from January to March 2021 to determine how the media use specific framings to construct national images. The results show PD favors official action and cooperation frames, constructing the discourse of “public goods” and “cooperation” and shaping a fair and cooperative China image; while NYT favors official action, conflict and skepticism frames, constructing the discourse of “diplomatic tool” and “competition” and shaping a selfish and competitive China image. A positive image is helpful for China to reposition itself in global public opinion and enhance its soft power, while a negative discourse deconstructs the positive China image and counterbalances China’s vaccine diplomacy.

Keywords:

• China
• USA
• COVID-19 vaccine
• news framing
• national image

Acknowledgements

This research is sincerely grateful to Dr. Nazmi and Dr. Emma for their valuable suggestions and help on the draft version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Notes

1 COVAX is a worldwide initiative established by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations.

2 The above statistical results are as of August 4, 2021.

3 Both Wang Wenbin and Hua Chunying are spokespersons for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They usually take presiding over the regular press conferences of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Therefore, their speeches represent the consistent proposition and position of the Chinese government. People’s Daily regularly reports on their speeches at the press conference on current affairs hotspots.

4 In this research, the original texts of all the examples involving People's Daily are in Chinese, translated into English here.

5 Sinovac is one of the manufacturers of vaccines in China. The vaccine brand it produces is mainly CoronaVac.

6 CanSino Biologics is one of the manufacturers of vaccines in China. The vaccine brand it produces is mainly Convidecia.

7 Sinopharm is one of the vaccine manufacturers in China, and its vaccine brands are mainly BBIBP-CorV, WIBP-CorV and COVID-19-i.

8 This expression comes from X. Li (2021, p. 16).

9 This expression comes from Anon (2021, p. 3).

10 This expression comes from P. Zhang (2021, p. 16).

11 This expression comes from Xinhua News Agency (2021b, p. 3).

12 This expression comes from H. Yan et al. (2021, p. 3).

13 This expression comes from Sun and Y. P. Zhao (2021, p. 3).

14 This expression comes from Zou (2021, p. 3).

15 This expression comes from Anon (2021, p. 3).

16 This expression comes from Mashal and Yee (2021, p. A1).

17 This expression comes from Y. Huang (2021).

18 This expression comes from Wee (2021, p. B1).

19 This expression comes from Londoño et al. (2021).

20 This expression comes from Wee and Londoño (2021a, p. A6).

21 This expression comes from Gutierrez (2021).

22 This expression comes from Y. Huang (2021).

23 This expression comes from Wee and Londoño (2021a, p. A6).

24 This expression comes from Popescu and Phelan (2021, p. A27).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Weilun Ju

Weilun Ju is a Ph.D. student at Centre for Research in Media & Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia). The field of interest is journalism.

Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi

Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi is a senior lecturer at Centre for Research in Media & Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia). The field of interest is journalism and public relations.

Emma Mohamad

Emma Mohamad is an associate professor at Centre for Research in Media & Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia). The field of interest is health communication and crisis communication.