An Analysis Of Indian Mainstream Newspapers' Framing On Sino-Indian Relations During Xi-Modi "Informal Summit"

As the two most populous and fastest-growing developing countries in Asia,even all over the world,China and India have received international attention for many years.Sino-Indian relations are complex and affected by such factors as politics,economy,and culture.India is in an important geographical position along the "Belt and Road" route.Indian mainstream media's construction of Sino-Indian relations is of great significance for the construction of China's image in overseas public opinion fields,the future development of both countries and the maintenance of their bilateral relations as well as the promotion of globalization.Current literature on Indian media's China-related reports focuses on such topics as China's image,fake news,the Belt and Road Initiative,and economic reports from China's perspective.There is a lack of research on how India's local media shape Sino-Indian relations.Thus the present study content-analyzed 287 reports from two Indian mainstream English newspapers,The Times of India and The Hindu,during the two Xi-Modi"informal summit" to explore what media framework these two newspapers have used to cover issues related to China-India relations.This study also attempted to analyze the reasons behind the reporting.Research results showed that the two newspapers shed high light to political and economic issues,followed by cultural issues.When reporting on China-India relations,the two media presented a reporting framework of overall friendship,partial opposition,and cautious cooperation.The development of Sino-Indian relations has shown a relatively positive trend,including some expectations for the future development.However,on some sensitive issues,such as China-India-Pakistan trilateral relations,the Belt and Road issue,China-India trade deficit,etc.,the two newspapers showed a certain degree of vigilance and opposition against China,showing skepticism about Sino-Indian relations.Among them,reports presented by The Hindu were more objective and positive than the Times of India.This study also analyzed the reasons leading to the above-mentioned framework of the Indian media from the overall trends of China-India relations,national interests,and cultural differences.This study provides empirical evidence for Indian media's China-related reporting approach.At the practical level,it demonstrated reporting discrepancies between the two Indian media outlets regarding China-related.This study provides references for China's government and media organizations.