One Rising China, Multiple Interpretations: China's 60th anniversary celebration through the lens of the world's printed media
What does a rising China mean to the world? While some countries take China as a salient threat, others regard China as their role model for development and governance. However, limited research has offered a systematic comparative analysis in this regard. China's spectacular celebration of its 60th anniversary uniquely showcased its increasing military might, mounting economic wealth and carefully-maintained mass support. Taking advantage of simultaneous worldwide news coverage of this all-in-one event, we scrutinize how different societies responded to a rising China. We find significant variance in the news coverage from 42 top printed media in 21 sampled societies. Moreover, these societies' political features affect their newspapers' reporting styles the most. This analysis significantly enriches our understanding of the rise of China.
A Norm-Taker or a Norm-Maker? Chinese aid in Southeast Asia
As China expands its development assistance in Southeast Asia, is Chinese aid beginning to emulate international norms and practices or sustaining its own distinct approach to development assistance? This essay argues that China's socialization into international norms varies with the thickness of the institutional environment. In Laos and Cambodia, China's enhanced collaboration with international consortia, improved transparency, and project diversity point to nascent socialization. China's aid to Myanmar, however, remains opaque and largely self-interested. At the regional level, Beijing is bolstering its influence over the norms and practices of regional developmental institutions.
Political Economy of Hong Kong Media: Producing a Hegemonic Voice
Ten years after the handover, this article examines the macro and collective consequences of self-censorship, change of media ownership and, two major issues of press freedom during the transition period. The article argues that journalists working in media organizations acquired by ‘pro-China’ business tend to steer the media toward a ‘neutral’ and ‘objective’ position. The result is a new modal center in the spectrum of political ideology and reduced diversity in the marketplace of opinions.