This thesis focusses on Chinese dairy company takeovers in Australia. In particular the Chinese company ‘Mengniu Dairy Company’ taking over the Australian companies ‘Lion Dairy & Drinks Pty Ltd...Show moreThis thesis focusses on Chinese dairy company takeovers in Australia. In particular the Chinese company ‘Mengniu Dairy Company’ taking over the Australian companies ‘Lion Dairy & Drinks Pty Ltd’ and ‘Bellamy’s Organic Ltd.’. The question this thesis answers is the following: Are Chinese dairy company takeovers in Australia beneficial to the Australian dairy industry? The two case studies will help to answer this question. By using case study analysis, process tracing, and preference attainment, this thesis will add a completely new debate to the academic literature. In the end, this thesis argues that Chinese dairy company takeovers in Australia are beneficial to the Australian dairy industry in the short term, because of the influx of foreign capital. However, they are not beneficial in the long term, because Australia will loose its food sovereignty and food security networks to China.Show less
State-owned media serve as important propaganda tools for the Chinese Communist Party. The propaganda of today is represented through media framing and influence not only public opinion, but also...Show moreState-owned media serve as important propaganda tools for the Chinese Communist Party. The propaganda of today is represented through media framing and influence not only public opinion, but also promote the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party. However, a worrisome trend has surfaced, namely the use of sensationalism by the state-owned media to frame political events. Even though many studies have shown interest in the media organs of the Chinese government, few studies have focused on the effect it has on Sino-Japanese relations and none have done a thorough media analysis focusing on China’s side. In addition, not much research has been conducted in examining Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe in the Chinese media. This thesis therefore examines two contrasting media reactions in response to Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s behavior, namely the exaggerated negative coverage in 2015 and the subsequent sudden positive coverage in 2017. The main method used in this thesis is the appliance of qualitative frame analysis on selected state-owned media newspaper articles. This will not only observe the framing the Chinese government does, but will also present China’s state-owned media as highly unpredictable. This thesis concludes that the negative frame of 2015 changed by the end of 2017 to a more positive frame of Abe. The Chinese public responded accordingly to this, having a worse view on Japan in 2015, but a better view by the end of 2017. The state-owned Chinese media, therefore, still serve as powerful tools of propaganda for the CCP.Show less
Since the Japanese government purchased three of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in 2012 and subsequently nationalized them, relations with China and Taiwan sharply deteriorated. After a year...Show moreSince the Japanese government purchased three of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in 2012 and subsequently nationalized them, relations with China and Taiwan sharply deteriorated. After a year the Chinese government was still cancelling important meetings with Japanese officials, while the Taiwanese East Asian Relations Association had managed to sign a fishery agreement with the Japanese Interchange Association in April 2013. This fishery agreement extended to the seas around the disputed islands, but the agreement did not touch upon sovereignty. The fact that the Chinese government still cancelled important meetings with Japanese officials showed that even after a year Sino-Japanese relations were still affected by the dispute of the 2012 and that the Chinese government did not take official measures to solve the dispute. However, Taiwan acted differently than China and signed a fishery agreement with Japan in April 2013. This shows that Taiwan took another approach regarding the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands than China. This is remarkable, because most academic sources had worked on the assumption that Taiwan and China would be taking a similar approach to handling these disputes and thus only Japan and China were ever considered to be main actors within the dispute. Through the fishery agreement of 2013 however Taiwan has proved to be an equally significant and independent contribution in the attempt to reach a solution for the disputes. This thesis will argue that the fishery agreement of Japan and Taiwan can significantly change the dynamics in the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands disputes.Show less
