The National Image Of China In British Mainstream Media Since The 21st Century

National image is the core component of a country’s "soft power".A good national image is an important factor to enhance international competitiveness,and national image is often constructed through media.The era of global communication has arrived.International communication is expanding in region,improving in mode and changing in technology,all of which increasingly highlight the important role of media in shaping national image.When a serious emergency occurs,media’s intensive coverage and the international community’s close attention make national image easier to be constructed.In addition,the framework of media reports will greatly affect the behavior and expression effects of the media,thus affecting the communication and understanding of a country’s national image.This paper takes The Times as the research object to analyze its China-related coverage during SARS(November 16,2002-July 5,2003)and COVID-19(December 30,2020-June 19,2021).Taking Zang Guoren’s framework theory as the instruction,this article uses content analysis,comparative analysis and text analysis to combine quantitative research with qualitative research.This paper analyzes the "change" and"constant" of China’s national image shaped by The Times in two public health emergencies 17 years apart,and then probes into China’s external communication strategy in the face of public health emergencies.It is found that the number of China-related reports of The Times during the SARS period is far less than that during the COVID-19,and the length of the reports is shorter and the information is not rich enough.In terms of high-level framework,the Times’China-related reports during the SARS period mostly adopted notification framework,conflict framework and economic framework,while in the COVID-19 period,economic framework,conflict framework and major power relations framework were more widely adopted.In terms of the middle-level framework,The Times used the sources of government agencies and officials and of the British side for the China-related reports in both periods,which accounted for the highest proportion.However,the proportion of sources from experts,scholars,social organizations and the Chinese side increased significantly in the COVID-19 Period.In terms of attitude tendency,in the SARS period,negative reports dominated,followed by neutral reports,and positive reports accounted for a very small proportion-However,in the COVID-19 period,neutral reports dominated,followed by negative reports,and the proportion of positive reports increased significantly.In terms of the low-level framework,from the perspective of high-frequency keywords,the Times paid more attention to the dynamic update of the SARS epidemic in its China-related reports,and paid more attention to China’s international relations in the COVID-19 period.As for news headlines,the Times’ China-related reports during the SARS period focused more on Chinese people’s living habits and domestic political environment,while the COVID-19 period focused more on Chinese leaders and Chinese political system.Generally speaking,China’s national image described by The Times during the SARS period was weak,incompetent and decayed,while during the COVID-19 period was ambitious,with great economic influence and threatening to the West.The difference of China’s national image under the description of The Times in the two periods is the result of the joint effects of the development of media environment,the severity and scope of the two public health emergencies,the advancement of globalization and the improvement of China’s international influence.In order to improve the international public opinion environment in China’s public health emergencies,the first thing to do is to announce and open timely,seize the first position of building national image,and establish a timely,accurate,open and transparent information disclosure system.Secondly,multiple discourse strategies should be used to counter Western anti-China public opinion with professional expression.At the same time,we should make good use of network media and social media to attract netizens to participate in the construction of Chinese discourse system and form Chinese discourse polyphony.