China in European Narratives: Policy, Identity, and Image

by Li Zhang

Overview

This book explores how China, and especially China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is viewed in European media and by European think tanks, thereby uncovering European elites’ views of China. Looking across Europe—the European Union, Western Europe (including the United Kingdom), Central Europe, and Eastern Europe—the book reveals a complex picture, with different views in different places, and with different aspects of China disproportionately emphasized in some places. As China’s importance in the world continues to grow, it is crucial to understand how distorted views of China are shaping international relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032534619
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/18/2024
Series:	Communicating China
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Li Zhang is Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, China.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

 

List of Tables

 

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Introduction: EU-China relations and the Belt and Road Initiative

Chapter 2: Images and stereotypes of China in Europe

Chapter 3: Strategic narratives and the rhetoric of motives in understanding China’s policy, identity and image

Part I: China in the narratives of the European Union

Chapter 4: The narratives of China and the BRI in European transnational media

Chapter 5: Narrating China and the BRI in the EU think tanks

Part II: China in the narratives of European countries

Chapter 6: The narratives of China and the BRI in British, French and German media

Chapter 7: Narrating China and the BRI in Western and Northern European think tanks

Chapter 8: Narrating China and the BRI in Central and Eastern European think tanks

Chapter 9: Conclusions: A comparative approach

Index

Editorial Reviews

Professor Li Zhang is a leading Chinese scholar of “Perceptions” and her new book is timely, impressively researched and set to make an important contribution to the EU-China relationship. Her analysis draws on both media data as well as the influential role played by think tanks and, as such, is a welcome and innovative addition the Perceptions literature. - Martin Holland, Professor and Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, Founding Director of National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

In this insightful and comprehensive work, Li Zhang, a Jean Monnet professor at Tsinghua University and a leading scholar on China-EU relations, presents an in-depth exploration of the narratives shaping China's image in Europe. Straddling both continents, Zhang delves into the intricate tapestry of historical, cultural, and contemporary influences that have molded the perceptions of China within the European sphere.

- Leen d’Haenens, Professor of Communication, Institute for Media Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium

Loaded with so many important messages about the views of and attitudes toward China in different parts of Europe, this book is a pit stop of wisdom to guide you to understand contemporary EU-China relations. - Chun Ding, Professor and Jean Monnet Chair, Fudan University, Vice President of Chinese Association for European Studies, China

Unique and innovative in its approaches, this insightful research offers a comprehensive, multidimensional and multifaceted perspective on how China is narrated in the news media and think tanks. A must read for researchers, policy makers and the public interested in gaining a better understanding of China’s image in Europe. - Professor Xiaoling Zhang, Head of Department of Media and Communication, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China

From the Publisher