The Trump – Tsai phone call: a Turning Point in Cross-Strait Relations? A Discourse Analysis of the PRC’s reaction in State-Led Newspapers and the Construction of National Identity

This thesis analyses newspaper articles from two state-led newspapers of the PRC regarding the phone-call between the president of the US, Donald Trump, and president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, on December 2, 2016. This phone call suggested a possible attempt by the US to undermine the One-China policy, an essential part of China’s international relations. This thesis links the outcomes of the discourse analysis with the literature review, which explains the importance of discourse in international relations and the construction of a national identity. The analysis mainly focuses on three discourse topics and discursive strategies (intertextuality, language and pictures) of the newspaper articles. Both parts concentrate on the different identity manoeuvres which construct a notion of China’s national identity. Analysing the different articles showed that this phone call was an unexpected and an unacceptable event for the PRC. The discourse regarding China’s military power occurs quite...Show moreThis thesis analyses newspaper articles from two state-led newspapers of the PRC regarding the phone-call between the president of the US, Donald Trump, and president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, on December 2, 2016. This phone call suggested a possible attempt by the US to undermine the One-China policy, an essential part of China’s international relations. This thesis links the outcomes of the discourse analysis with the literature review, which explains the importance of discourse in international relations and the construction of a national identity. The analysis mainly focuses on three discourse topics and discursive strategies (intertextuality, language and pictures) of the newspaper articles. Both parts concentrate on the different identity manoeuvres which construct a notion of China’s national identity. Analysing the different articles showed that this phone call was an unexpected and an unacceptable event for the PRC. The discourse regarding China’s military power occurs quite strong in the period after the phone call. With regard to the construction of national identity, concluded is that the newspaper articles construct an identity of China which is ‘unassailable’ for any changes from external actors in Sino-U.S. or cross-strait relations. The position of Taiwan in China’s identity is constructed in a conflicting way by the articles. Language features often identify Taiwan as the ‘other’, which excludes Taiwan from China’s identity. However, when speaking about Sino-U.S. relations, Taiwan is included in China’s identity.Show less

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The Trump – Tsai phone call: a Turning Point in Cross-Strait Relations? A Discourse Analysis of the PRC’s reaction in State-Led Newspapers and the Construction of National Identity