in my opinion

The Promotion of Peace for National Image: The Case of China

By Sandy Lee

China, rising as a global power, has put forth its best effort to gain international acceptance by bolstering “Chinese political harmony.” Being a communist country, China has endeavored to show its national openness by hosting international events such as the 2008 Olympic Games and the coming World’s Fair in Shanghai. In my opinion, this promotion of peace is only a strategic tool for the Chinese government to foster a more favorable national image on the global stage. What’s more, the authoritarian government also promotes its efforts at world peace to the Chinese people, using state-run news media, in order to gain public support for China as a productive and "positive" actor in world affairs.

A 2006 Journal of Communication article by Tsan-Kuo Chang states that the Chinese news media serve as the major means for the Chinese public to make sense of the changing environment. Accordingly, the main media sources in China, China Central Television and People’s Daily, have taken the role to “advertise” the importance of peace and simultaneously to emphasize the significant policy accomplishments of the Beijing Administration. If you just type in “china and peace” in the search engine of CCTV, you will see a good amount of news releases about the Chinese government’s policies to promote peace.

It is unfair to say that Chinese media, or image, is thoroughly state-controlled and lacks a comprehensive perspective since China still must face the expectations and examination of the international community – international viewpoints increasingly accessible to the Chinese public. Still, coverage of China’s efforts at peace promotion is, without a doubt, a central media focus. Through the control of media, the Chinese government has achieved its official and underlying goal enhance its national image through the promotion of peace.