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ABSTRACT
This article examines the depiction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in elite English media across Europe to discern sentiments and ideological disparities between China and the Western world. Using the PRISMA method, 1826 relevant research articles on the BRI were identified, and 42 were selected for detailed analysis. Additionally, 1357 news articles from the Financial Times, The Guardian and BBC from 2015 to 2023 underwent linguistic corpus analysis. Employing a three-dimensional critical discourse analysis (3d-CDA), the study scrutinized sample news articles, revealing ideological underpinnings across various dimensions and frames. The analysis indicates a growing negativity towards the BRI in European English media, with sentiments averaging 38% from 2015 to 2023 and peaking at 56% and 54% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Ideological differences often discussed in academic circles include a contrast between the emphasis on individualism in the West and the values of collectivism prominent in Chinese culture. However, it is important to recognize the diversity within these broad categories. This research offers insights for BRI stakeholders and enriches academic discourse with updated data. Its novelty lies in its dual-tiered approach to news relevance for content analysis and the application of three-dimensional CDA to BRI news discourse, revealing ideological disparities not previously explored.
Data availability statement
The data and related materials covered in this paper are in the supporting documents.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Haisheng Hu
Haisheng Hu, PhD candidate at the University of Łódź, with a focus on political economy.