The transitive construction of China’s national image in the editorials of the New York Times

Abstract

The construction of a country’s national image depends not only on its promotion and construction in media but also on other countries’ reports on and comments about it, especially when they are in conflicting states. Taking the transitivity system theory within systemic functional linguistics as its theoretical basis, this study employed a qualitative method to investigate the construction of China’s national image in the editorials about the Sino-US trade dispute in The New York Times. This study first calculated the frequency of each process; then, it analyzed the distribution and function of each process regarding its role in the construction of China’s national image. The findings showed that, at 75.85%, the material process comprised the largest proportion, depicting the actions China has taken or the things that have been done to China. The verbal process ranked second, through which editorials aimed to persuade the readers and ensure authority. The percentages of mental and relational processes were similar. Moreover, an analysis of the relational process showed the attributes and values added to China. The images constructed by the editorials in The New York Times were mixed and conflicting. China was simultaneously constructed as the victim of the trade dispute and also as a country of over-production capacity, a voracious consumer of world raw materials, and a competitor with unfair techniques. Furthermore, China’s damages to the United States were highlighted and emphasized.