Study On The Differentiated Construction Of Pakistani Media On "China Pakistan Economic Corridor"

It is now the eighth year since China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.As a model and flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative,the China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC)has been attracting great attention from all over the world,who regard it as a sign of whether the whole Belt and Road Initiative can get through.In fact,Since CPEC has been proposed in 2013,the western media,mainly refer to American one,has formed a series of negative discourse systems by concerning news report on the Belt and Road Initiative.On the other hand,the present studies show that there are few studies on CPEC comparing to the Belt and Road Initiative.Therefore,focusing on CPEC,this study tries to give some research reference for the countries along with Belt and Road Initiative,which is a more micro perspective.The research topic of this study is the differentiated construction of editorials on CPEC from Pakistani mainstream newspapers.Based on Appraisal Theory and Content Analysis,this study conducts both quantitative and qualitative analysis on editorials.It aims to answer the following three research questions: what is the difference of opinion construction on CPEC between Dawn,the Nation and Express Tribune ? Are there any changes and regularity of the construction of public opinion in different time? What is influencing the change of public opinion in the construction of CPEC by the those 3 Pakistani media?Through the comparison of editorials between 3 newspapers,the study found that Dawn was concerned about the process and negative consequences of CPEC,the Nation focused on international affairs and CPEC itself,and Express Tribune discussed more about diplomatic relations and foreign trade investment.With the change of time,Dawn presented a positive trend in the early stage of the project and gradually negative trend in the later.From questioning the sustainability of the project to focusing on the positive influence of diplomatic relations,the Nation gradually showed a neutral and positive attitude towards CPEC,and the express Tribune actively discusses the development and future trend of CPEC,with a constant positive public opinion.In combination with literature review and the change of editorials,this study believe that the media type and orientation,the change of ruling party,and as well as CPEC construction process are influencing the public opinion.After all,the study propose that Chinese government should resolve public dissatisfaction timely and actively,grasp the initiative in hands,at the same time,the Chinese media should strength the intensity of news report on CPEC to exert more influence on public opinion in Pakistan.