ÇİN'İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI

Zeynep Ayer Öztok

doi:10.35379/cusosbil.1647873

TR EN

Abstract

ÇİN'İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI

Abstract

21. yüzyılda küresel güçlerin söylem stratejileri, uluslararası ilişkilerde daha belirleyici bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu bağlamda Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti’nin iç politikada denetim ve istikrar vurgusuna dayanan yaklaşımı ile dış politikada iş birliği, karşılıklı kalkınma ve küresel liderlik söylemini öne çıkaran stratejisi, medya temsilleri açısından dikkat çekici bir ikili yapı sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Çin’in iç ve dış politika yönelimlerinin medya söylemleri aracılığıyla nasıl inşa edildiğini ve hangi meşrulaştırma stratejileriyle sunulduğunu analiz etmektir. Araştırma kapsamında 1 Ocak 2023 – 31 Aralık 2024 tarihleri arasında People’s Daily ve CGTN kaynaklarından basit rastgele örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilen toplam 100 haber nitel içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Analiz sürecinde aktör temsilleri, kavramsal çerçeveler ve meşrulaştırma stratejileri incelenmiştir. Bulgular, Çin medyasının iç politikada toplumsal kontrol, ulusal birlik ve istikrar söylemini; dış politikada ise barışçıl kalkınma, küresel sorumluluk ve iş birliği vurgusunu öne çıkardığını göstermektedir. Bu iki yönlü söylemin, farklı hedef kitlelere hitap eden ancak bütüncül bir hegemonik çerçeve içinde işleyen bir iletişim stratejisi oluşturduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Çalışma, Çin’in medya aracılığıyla iç ve dış politika anlatılarını eş zamanlı olarak nasıl kurguladığını ortaya koyarak literatüre katkı sunmaktadır.

Keywords

THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHINA’S PARADOXICAL POLICIES THROUGH MEDIA DISCOURSE

Abstract

In the 21st century, the discursive strategies of global powers have become increasingly influential in shaping international relations. In this context, the People’s Republic of China presents a notable dual structure in its media representations: an emphasis on control and stability in domestic politics, alongside a foreign policy discourse centered on cooperation, mutual development, and global leadership. This study aims to analyze how China’s domestic and foreign policy orientations are constructed and legitimized through media discourse. The research examines 100 news articles selected through simple random sampling from People’s Daily and CGTN published between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024. The data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, focusing on actor representations, conceptual framing, and legitimation strategies. The findings reveal that Chinese media discourse emphasizes social control, national unity, and stability in domestic political narratives, while foregrounding peaceful development, global responsibility, and international cooperation in foreign policy representations. It is concluded that this dual discourse constitutes a communication strategy that addresses different audiences while operating within a coherent and overarching hegemonic framework. By revealing how China simultaneously constructs domestic and foreign policy narratives through media, the study contributes to the literature on media discourse and international communication.

Keywords

References

Adler, E. (1997). Seizing the middle ground: Constructivism in world politics. European Journal of International Relations, 3(3), 319–363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354066197003003003
Ayna, S. (2026). Çin'in yumuşak güç politikaları ve Türkiye'deki etkileri. Doğu Asya Araştırmaları Dergisi. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/dasad/article/1707779
Barnett, M. (1999). Culture, strategy and foreign policy change: Israel’s road to Oslo. European Journal of International Relations, 5(1), 5–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354066199005001001
Basmacı, G. (2024). Yumuşak güç olarak Çin medyası: CGTN Türk örneği. Asya Studies. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/asya/issue/89023/1520142
Brady, A.-M. (2009). Marketing dictatorship: Propaganda and thought work in contemporary China. Rowman & Littlefield.
Brady, A.-M. ve Yong, H. (2012). Talking up the market: Economic propaganda in contemporary China. A.-M. Brady (Ed.), China’s thought management (s. 36–56). Routledge.
Callahan, W. A. (2013). China dreams: 20 visions of the future. Oxford University Press.
Callahan, W. A. (2015). History, tradition and the China dream: Socialist modernization in the world of great harmony. Journal of Contemporary China, 24(96), 983–1001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2015.1030915

Chan, S. I. ve Song, W. (2020). Telling the China story well: A discursive approach to the analysis of Chinese foreign policy. Chinese Political Science Review, 5(3), 417–437. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41111-020-00146-1
Cho, Y. C. ve Hwang, Y. J. (2020). Mainstream IR theoretical perspectives and rising China vis-à-vis the West. Journal of Chinese Political Science, 25, 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11366-019-09620-3
Çömez, A. ve Özgen, N. (2025). Dijital sağlık diplomasisi: Çin Ankara Büyükelçiliği'nin COVID-19 sürecindeki Twitter platformu stratejileri. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/cusosbil/article/1586229
Demirtaş, B. ve Koç, H. (2020). Uluslararası medyada sansür ve Çin deneyimi. Uluslararası İlişkiler ve Medya Çalışmaları.
Esarey, A. ve Qiang, X. (2011). Digital communication and political change in China. International Journal of Communication, 5, 298–316.
Fairclough, N. (1995). Media discourse. Edward Arnold.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge: Selected interviews and other writings. Pantheon Books.
Gitlin, T. (2003). The whole world is watching: Mass media in the making and unmaking of the new left. University of California Press.
Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the prison notebooks. International Publishers.
Guzzini, S. (2000). A reconstruction of constructivism in international relations. European Journal of International Relations, 6(2), 147–182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354066100006002001
Güven, A. (2021). Uluslararası medyada Sincan/Doğu Türkistan haberlerinin çerçevelenmesi. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi, 9(2), 1074–1102. http://dx.doi.org/10.19145/e-gifder.820769
Hall, S. (1982). The rediscovery of ideology: Return of the repressed in media studies. M. Gurevitch vd. (Eds.), Culture, society and the media (s. 56–90). Routledge.
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Sage.
Hopf, T. (1998). The promise of constructivism in international relations theory. International Security, 23(1), 171–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2539267
Jørgensen, K. E. ve Wong, R. (2016). Social constructivist perspectives on China–EU relations. China, the European Union, and the international politics of global governance. Palgrave Macmillan.
Langendonk, S. (2020). Discourse power as a means to ‘struggle for position’: A critical case study of the Belt and Road narrative. Journal of Chinese Political Science, 25, 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11366-019-09649-4
Lee, C.-C., He, Z. ve Huang, Y. (2006). Party-market corporatism, clientelism, and media in Shanghai. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 11(2), 20–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1081180X06286765
Li, X. (2019). China’s dual position in the capitalist world order. The international political economy of the BRICS. Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429507946-6
Onuf, N. (1998). The world of our making: Rules and rule in social theory and international relations. University of South Carolina Press.
Önal, B. (2020). Çin'in kültürel diplomasisi: Konfüçyüs Enstitüleri'nin rolü ve eleştiriler. International Journal of Politics and Security. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijps/issue/54281/753100
Özdoğru, E. N. (2021). Yabancı ülkelerin ürettikleri COVID-19 aşısı bağlamında Türkiye’ye yönelik propaganda ve algı yönetimi faaliyetleri. Türkiye Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jovosst/article/957612
Öztürk, S. E. ve İçener, Z. Ç. (2023). COVID-19 pandemisi döneminde kamu diplomasisi ve ulus markalama: Çin ve Türkiye'nin maske diplomasisi. Liberal Düşünce Dergisi. http://dx.doi.org/10.36484/liberal.1148073
Repnikova, M. (2017). Media politics in China: Improvising power under authoritarianism. Cambridge University Press.
Rosyidin, M. (2019). The Dao of foreign policy: Understanding China’s dual strategy in the South China Sea. Contemporary Security Policy.
Ruiz Casado, J. A. (2024). The interaction between global privilege and the discursive construction of the “China threat”. Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/23477970241231345
Shambaugh, D. (2007). China’s propaganda system: Institutions, processes and efficacy. The China Journal, 57, 25–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/tcj.57.20066240
Shambaugh, D. (Ed.). (2020). China and the world. Oxford University Press.
Stockmann, D. (2013). Media commercialization and authoritarian rule in China. Cambridge University Press.
Tong, J. (2009). Press self-censorship in China. Journalism Studies, 10(3), 389–404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616700802580510
Üngör, Ç. (2022). Çin, oyunu Türkiye'nin medya kurallarına göre oynuyor. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A multidisciplinary approach. Sage.
van Dijk, T. A. (2005). Discourse and manipulation. Discourse & Society, 17(3), 359–383. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957926506060250
Wagle, T. P. (2025). Media discourse and regional cooperation: The 2024 Chinese Two Sessions in the lens of Nepali journalism. Journal of Media Horizons, 6(3), 929–938.
Wendt, A. (1992). Anarchy is what states make of it. International Organization, 46(2), 391–425. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0020818300027764
Wendt, A. (1999). Social theory of international politics. Cambridge University Press.
Yang, L. ve Yang, H. (2025). Aggressive journalistic questioning and China’s “wolf warrior diplomacy”. The China Quarterly, 1–18.
Yılmaz, A. (2021). Çin’in medya temsilleri üzerine eleştirel bir inceleme. İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi.
Zhang, Y. (2015). China and the struggle for legitimacy of a rising power. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 301–322.
Zhao, Y. (2008). Communication in China: Political economy, power, and conflict. Rowman & Littlefield.
Zhu, Y. (2021). Media power and its control in contemporary China: The digital regulatory regime, national identity, and global communication [Doktora tezi, University of Glasgow].

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

Journalism Studies

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Zeynep Ayer Öztok ^*
0000-0003-4107-0171
Türkiye

Publication Date

June 17, 2026

Submission Date

February 27, 2025

Acceptance Date

March 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 35

DOI

https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.1647873

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA62ZG93XE

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Ayer Öztok, Z. (2026). ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 35. https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.1647873

AMA

1.Ayer Öztok Z. ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2026;35. doi:10.35379/cusosbil.1647873

Chicago

Ayer Öztok, Zeynep. 2026. “ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI”. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 35 (June). https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.1647873.

EndNote

Ayer Öztok Z (June 1, 2026) ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 35

IEEE

[1]Z. Ayer Öztok, “ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI”, Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, vol. 35, June 2026, doi: 10.35379/cusosbil.1647873.

ISNAD

Ayer Öztok, Zeynep. “ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI”. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 35 (June 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.1647873.

JAMA

1.Ayer Öztok Z. ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2026;35. doi:10.35379/cusosbil.1647873.

MLA

Ayer Öztok, Zeynep. “ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI”. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, vol. 35, June 2026, doi:10.35379/cusosbil.1647873.

Vancouver

1.Zeynep Ayer Öztok. ÇİN’İN PARADOKSAL POLİTİKALARININ MEDYA SÖYLEMLERİYLE İNŞASI. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2026 Jun. 1;35. doi:10.35379/cusosbil.1647873

The rules that must be followed when writing articles to be sent to the journal are summarized below:

1. Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences Institute is a refereed journal published in Continuous Publication Model.

2. The article to be sent must not have been published anywhere before.

3. Articles can be published in Turkish, English, French or German. If the article is written in English, French or German, a Turkish abstract and title must be included.

4. Articles must be written in accordance with the Turkish Language Association spelling rules.

5. Articles must be written in Microsoft Word 2003 or later versions and sent online via the internet.

6. The title of the article must be appropriate to the text, centered; short and clear; written in capital letters.

7. The author's name must be centered in the article; if there is more than one author, their names must be written side by side. Information about the authors (University name, Faculty name, e-mail address, Orcid No) must be given in a footnote.

8. The first page of the article should consist of only ABSTRACT and ABSTRACT, and this page should be created by placing it in the Article Template (see Article Template)

9. Paper size in articles: A-4 vertical, page structure bottom: 2.5 cm, top: 2.5 cm, left: 2.5 cm, right: 2.5 cm, header: 3 cm, footer: 3 cm, font: Times New Roman, point: 10, line spacing: single. The entire article should not exceed 8000 words.

10. Footnotes should be written in Times New Roman font, 8 point and line spacing “single”. Footnotes should not be used except for notes on old-lettered text studies and important explanations about the study.

11. The abstract should be written in 8 point and Times New Roman font. It should consist of one paragraph (even if it consists of several paragraphs, it should fit into one paragraph), and line spacing should be set to “single”. It should consist of at least 150 and at most 200 words. The abstract should be placed in capital letters on the left side of the text.

12. In original articles, sections should be organized as follows:
INTRODUCTION (maximum 3 pages)
LITERATURE REVIEW
METHOD
RESEARCH FINDINGS
CONCLUSION

13. The main section headings above should be written in bold, capital letters, aligned to the left. Headings should not be numbered, and there should be no paragraph indentation.

14. Subsection headings should be written in bold, with the first letter of each word capitalized, and should start 0.5 cm. indentation. All paragraph indents should be aligned.

15. If tables are to be included in the text, they should be shown as follows: “Table 1.”. The name of the table should be written centered above the table, with the first letter of each word capitalized, and should not be italicized. In figures, it should be written centered under the figure, with the word “Figure 1.” capitalized. Figures and graphics should be drawn on the computer; photos or pictures should have high resolution and should be numbered.

16. If hypotheses will be included in the study, the hypothesis indication should be as follows: “H1:”. Hypotheses should not be written in italics.

17. The sources used in the article should be given under the title “RESOURCES” after the “RESULTS” section. It should be prepared with Times New Roman font, 10 points, right-left 0, hanging 1.25, and line spacing “single”. 1 line space should be left after each source.

18. The sources in the article should be written in accordance with APA 7 (https://apastyle.apa.org/) style. You can look at the Article Template to examine the sample source indication and the rules to be followed in article writing in detail.

19. You can access the article template for articles to be sent to the journal from this link. After your article is accepted, you need to transfer it to the template in this link.

Guidelines for writing articles to be sent to the journal: 1. The Journal of Institute of Social Sciences of Çukurova University is a peer-reviewed journal published at least twice a year.
2. Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere.
3. The articles can be written in Turkish, English, French or German. If the article has been written in English, French or German, a summary in Turkish must also be included.
4. The articles should be written in accordance with the spelling rules of the Turkish Language Association.
5. Articles should be written in Microsoft Word 2003 or higher and they should be submitted through the online system.
6. Use a concise and clearly written title that reflects the paper's content. Use capital letters and center alignment.
7. Author names should be center aligned on the article; if there is more than one author, their names should be written side by side. Authorship information (University name, Faculty name, e-mail address, ORCID number) should be given in the footnote.
8. The first page of the article should consist of only SUMMARY and ABSTRACT using the Article Template (see Article Template).
9. Please adhere to the following formatting guidelines: a. Paper size: A-4 vertical b. Page layout: bottom 2.5 cm, top: 2.5 cm, left: 2.5 cm, right: 2.5 cm, header: 3 cm, footer: 3 cm.
c. Font: Times New

Ethical Principles

This guideline should be carefully reviewed by all researchers who will submit a study to the Journal.

Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences Institute is a peer-reviewed journal published in accordance with the ethical principles and rules specified below, with the aim of publishing qualified scientific articles in the field of Social Sciences.
Articles sent to Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences Institute are evaluated through a double-blind peer-review process.
The journal is published electronically with free access.
The journal only accepts articles through the Dergi Park system.
Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences Institute is a journal aware of the fact that information must be easily accessible in order for scientific studies to advance, and supports the initiative to make refereed journal literature open access, as stated in the Budapest Open Access Declaration, and offers all published articles in an environment where everyone can read and download them, free of charge.
In this declaration, open access is used in the sense that “scientific literature can be accessed, read, saved, copied, printed, scanned, linked to full text, indexed, transferred to software as data and used for any lawful purpose via the Internet without financial, legal and technical barriers”.
Considering the role of knowledge sharing in the advancement of science, open access is of great importance for researchers and readers. For this reason, articles in this journal can be used as long as the author and original source are cited. Permission from authors or publishers is not required.
It is aimed that all stakeholders (author, editor, referee, publisher and reader) who present a scientific study contribute to the correct advancement of science. In accordance with this goal, compliance with scientific ethical principles is important in scientific studies prepared.
These ethical principles have been accepted by us based on the guidelines prepared by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and are presented below with some of them, with the recommendation that stakeholders adopt them as well.
Accordingly, the ethical responsibilities, roles and duties of authors, journal editor, referees and publisher are included in our Journal. In addition, information is provided regarding plagiarism and unethical behaviors in Çukurova University Social Sciences Institute Journal. The sources used while preparing these policies are stated at the end of the guide.

Author(s)
• Articles sent to Çukurova University Social Sciences Institute Journal must be original studies in the field of Social Sciences.

All sources used in the articles (authors, online pages, personal interviews, etc.) must be cited correctly and appropriately.

• It must be stated that the articles sent to the journal have not been sent to another journal and the Copyright Transfer Form must be filled out.

People who have not contributed to the article intellectually should not be listed as authors.

• Conflicts of interest regarding the submitted article must be stated and the reason must be explained.

• Authors may be asked to submit the raw data of their work to the editorial board during the refereeing process, in which case the authors are expected to share their raw data with the editorial board. Authors are obliged to keep the data related to a published article for 5 years.

• Authors must inform the editor and the editorial board when they detect an error in their work and cooperate for the correction or retraction process.

Authors cannot use language and attitudes that degrade or belittle any individual, community or institution in their articles.

Referees
All articles sent to Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences are evaluated with a double-blind refereeing process. Double-blind refereeing means that authors are kept confidential from referees and referees are kept confidential from authors in order to ensure an impartial, objective and independent evaluation process.
Articles are sent to the referees for evaluation through the Dergi Park system.
Referees are required to fill out a form that includes the contribution of the article they are evaluating to their field, their decisions on whether the article is publishable or not, and the reasons for these decisions.
The ethical responsibilities and roles of referees of Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences are as follows:
• Referees are required to referee articles related to their fields of expertise only.
• Referees are expected to agree to referee articles that do not have any conflicts of interest. If referees discover any conflicts of interest, they must inform the editor and decline to referee the relevant article.

• Referees must evaluate articles impartially and objectively.

• Referees are required to fill out the Referee Evaluation Form for the articles they evaluate, and

İmtiyaz Sahibi (Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Adına)

Hüseyin GÜLER

Econometric and Statistical Methods, Statistics

Editor

Mustafa YAŞAR

Psychological Counseling Education, Adult Education, Early Childhood Education, Educational Psychology

Mizanpaj Editörü

Mustafa Can KIZGINDEMIR

Information Systems User Experience Design and Development, Visual Communication Design, Graphic Design, Video Design, Web Design

Son Okuyucu

Ayşenur SÖYÜ

Religious Studies (Other)

Alan Editörü

C. Hakan ÇUHADAR

Music, Interpretation in Western Classical Music, Theories of Music, Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Marella BODUR ÜN

Comparative Political Movement, Gender and Politics, Political Sociology, European Union-Turkiye Relations, Globalisation, International Relations Theories

Engin ÇETIN

Turkish Language and Literature, Old Turkic Language (Orhon, Uyghur, Karahan), Historical North East Turkish Language (Khwarezm, Kipchak, Chagatai)

Ebru ÖZGÜR GÜLER

Econometric and Statistical Methods, Quantitative Decision Methods

NÖ

Nurcihan ÖZDOĞAN

Equity and Trusts Law

ND

Nurcihan DALCI ÖZDOĞAN

Law and Legal Studies, Contract Law, Private Law and Civil Obligations (Other)

EK

Ebru KAYA

English As A Second Language

AB

Ayten Pınar BAL

Education, Curriculum and Instration , Mathematics Education

Nuran ÖZTÜRK

Turkish Islamic Literature, Classical Turkish Literature of Ottoman Field

Fehime Yeşim GÜRANI

Built Environment and Design, Interior Architecture , Sustainable Architecture

Fatma ŞAHIN

Archaeological Science, Ceramics in Archeology, Early Bronze Age Archeology, Neolithic Age Archeology, The Archaeology of Middle Bronze Age

Aydın ÇAM

Cinema Sociology, Cinema Theories, Cinema History

Birsel AYBEK

Education

AB

Almıla BURGAÇ ÇIL

International Economics

Raziye GÜNAY BILALOĞLU

Early Childhood Education

Mustafa MAVAŞOĞLU

Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics

Özlem USLU

Fine Arts Education, Museum Education, Photography, Interdisciplinary Art, Installation

İÜ

İlksun Didem ÜLBEĞI

Industrial Organisation, Entrepreneurship, Organizasyon, Organisation and Management Theory, Organisational Planning and Management, Organisational Behaviour, Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour (Other)