Work

Framing China’s climate action: a corpus-assisted discursive news values analysis in Chinese media discourse

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: China has garnered significant international attention due to its unique position in climate change, both as the world’s largest developing country and the largest major emitter. However, China’s climate action remains an underexamined topic in media studies. In the present study, we focus on the media presentations of China’s climate action framed by its state-controlled English media. By combining discursive news values analysis and corpus-assisted discourse analysis, the findings demonstrate that China’s leadership role is articulated as making proactive contributions to global climate governance, grounded in its acknowledgment of anthropogenic climate change and its commitment to the Paris Agreement. Such representations are predominantly constructed through Eliteness and Positivity, which reinforce China’s national image as a responsible and proactive major power. This study can deepen the understanding of the discursive relationship between language, news values, and media ideology in climate communication discourse.

Source: Environmental Research Communications

DOI: 10.1088/2515-7620/ae4458

Authors: Xiaolian Zhang, Wenhua Li

Institutions: Central China Normal University, Shanghai International Studies University

Language: English

Topic: Discourse Analysis in Language Studies

Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,050