Partners or Predators? A Corpus-Based Study of China’s Image in South African Media

ABSTRACT

This article sets out to investigate the image of China in South Africa’s mainstream English-language newspapers in the context of changing dynamics of Sino-SA bilateral relations, and their respective growing ambitions. To do so, this research adopts a corpus-based method to examine discursive mechanism through which China is represented in South African media. Corpus findings transcend the traditional and often oversimplified dichotomy of partner or predator, and recognise the complexities, contradictions, and changing dynamics of Sino-SA relation. Despite increasingly converging visions on matters of continental and global import, chief challenges faced by these two countries are contested interests over issues of BRICS versus African Agenda, weak bilateral political and public trust, and responsible versus irresponsible China. The findings are discussed in relation to China’s pursuit of soft power and SA’s geopolitical ambitions.

KEYWORDS:

• South Africa
• China
• national image
• corpus
• print media

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0301/c1002-29117164.html.

2 https://citizen.co.za/about-us/.

3 See supplementary materials 1 and 2 at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341277781.

4 http://cass.lancs.ac.uk/log-ratio-an-informal-introduction/.

5 https://saiia.org.za/research/co-operation-in-brics-is-vital-even-if-it-means-standing-aside-for-china/.

6 https://www.economist.com/printedition/2000-05-13.

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge receipt of financial support to publish this work from the MOE Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Fund, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (教育部人文社会科学研究青年基金项目) [Grant number: 18YJCZH210].