Changing Attitudes Of The American Government,media And Think Tanks Towards China-US Trade Frictions

The thesis studies official statements and announcements released by the White House on its website,news reports and commentaries published in three mainstream American newspapers,and policy analyses published by three major American think tanks from March 22^nd to December 31^st,2018.The time frame covers the full period of China-U.S.trade frictions in 2018.As the issue unfolds itself,the thesis highlights nine key junctures on the timeline,and collects announcements,in-depth analyses and media reports on the China-US trade frictions around these junctures as samples.Related information,including publication date,authorship,length,page number and column is also recorded for detailed analysis.The contents of the announcements,reports and analyses are studied through the methodology of content analysis,with the focus on the attitudes hidden in the texts and the evolution of attitudes along the predetermined timeline.The attitudes are categorized in accordance with a unified principle applicable to the samples and the intention of the study.Following the method of content analysis,the thesis mapped out the shift in their attitudes towards the trade frictions,in a bid to figure out the underlying reasons behind the changes and the influence of their views on each other.The figures derived from the analysis show that the attitude of the White House is basically consistent throughout the trade frictions.There are visible changes in the media and think tanks’attitudes towards the trade frictions as the issue evolves.