China's dual signalling in maritime disputes
Esther Song and co-author Sung Eun Kim examines how China balances nationalist sentiments at home with diplomatic signals abroad during territorial conflicts in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
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How does China communicate its foreign policy intentions to both its own people and the rest of the world during territorial disputes? China can show its determination by stirring up nationalism at home, but this can make it seem threatening to neighboring countries. We suggest that China manages this challenge by sending different messages to domestic and international audiences.
By focusing on China’s maritime conflicts in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, we analyze how China presents these disputes through state-controlled media. Our research, which involves analyzing over 31,000 state media reports from 2002 to 2021, indicates that China emphasizes cooperation and peaceful resolutions in its international messaging, while doing so less frequently in domestic media. These findings shed light on how China navigates its foreign policy messaging in the face of growing nationalism.
