U.S. Discourse Strategy Toward China And The Construction Of Dominant Narrativ

Discourse is a key element in the discipline of International Relations.Language is the primary medium for describing and explaining state policies and the international order.For a better understanding of the material world,the interpretation of meaning is needed.In the construction of international politics,in a narrative way through the use of language,actors define identities,interpret(or reinterpret)contexts,reflect social realities,and shape political practices.As uncertainty increases worldwide,the role of language becomes more pronounced.An increasing number of states use discursive strategies to construct dominant narratives in international politics.Existing research on the constructive role of language has mostly focused on securitization,normative studies,and discourse power,but has failed to further elaborate on the mechanisms and logic of dominant narrative construction and discursive strategies.By taking the logic of how discursive strategies construct dominant narratives,this paper distills two stages and six links.In the generation stage,the communication basis of the dominant narrative is formed through meta-narrative,identity association,and plot setting.In the meta-narrative segment,the original content of the narrative is established through archetypal narratives(historical analogy and textual analogy)with embedded cognitive logic.In conjunction with practice,the identity role between the initiating state and the referent is established to make the meta-narrative a narrative content with modern meaning.The content that needs to be highlighted by the dominant narrative is made more complete through the plot setting.In the application stage,the dominant narrative is widely disseminated and applied in the international community by for ming discourse alliances,highlighting narrative contexts,and adjusting policies.By forming discourse alliances to expand the subject of narrative communication,the linguistic discourse strategy is used to highlight the narrative content and enhance the atmosphere,and the policy discourse strategy is used to coordinate with policy adjustments to consolidate the communication effect.Through the combined effect of these two stages,the whole process of dominant narratives from non-existence to popularity is realized.This paper takes narrative studies as an entry point and proposes a theoretical framework for the production and application of dominant narratives,using the “Chinese Order Threat Theory”,“Debt Trap Diplomacy Theory” and “Climate Responsibility Theory” in the U.S.policy toward China as case studies.The theoretical framework is presented for the production and application of dominant narratives.The U.S.-China relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world today,and U.S.policy toward China has been continuously adjusted with the changes in the relationship between the two states.Starting from the Trump administration,U.S.policy toward China has gradually shifted from a contact-oriented and competition-oriented posture to a competition-oriented one that maintains contact.In the process of U.S.policy adjustment toward China,discourse becomes an important variable influencing policy tendencies and the outcome of policy changes.Through the generation and establishment of the dominant narrative on China,the narrative plays a crucial role in understanding policy changes.The use of U.S.discursive strategies with China and the construction of dominant narratives are common strategic tools in its foreign policy,but the mechanism of action between discursive strategies and dominant narratives is relatively ambiguous.How is the dominant narrative generated? How is the dominant narrative established? These questions are worthy of in-depth consideration and inquiry.In terms of theoretical validation,the paper concludes that the process of constructing dominant narratives and the use of discursive strategies can be analyzed in the two-stage framework theory of generation-application based on narrative theory.In terms of case validation,the two-stage framework can be tested by analyzing three dominant narratives in the U.S.policy toward China: the“China Order Threat Theory,” the “Debt Trap Diplomacy Theory”,and the “Climate Responsibility Theory”.The two-stage theoretical framework can be tested through the analysis of three dominant narratives in the U.S.policy toward China.From a political and security perspective,the “China Order Threat Theo ry” is an important narrative with deep historical roots and research foundations in U.S.policy toward China,and is of great significance in determining the direction of U.S.-China development relations.From an economic perspective,China’s “Debt Trap Diplomacy” is linked to China’s “Belt and Road” initiative,the most important regional economic cooperation in the past decade,and is a typical economic narrative in U.S.-China relations.This is a typical economic narrative in U.S.-China engagement.From other non-traditional perspectives,the transformation of the “Climate Responsibility Theory” from a negative narrative to a widely recognized positive narrative worldwide is also uniquely relevant to the study.By studying and summarizing the above three cases,we can analyze the establishment of the dominant narrative in the U.S.policy toward China in a relatively comprehensive manner,which makes the research content relatively comprehensive and objective,as well as practically meaningful.Therefore,the theoretical framework and case analysis of this paper are instructive for future foreign policy-making and discourse development.