A Corpus-Based Analysis of Chinese and Western Newspaper Discourse on Xinjiang Cotton: A Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective

Based on Fairclough’s three-dimensional and Van Dijk’s “ideological square” model of Critical Discourse Analysis, this study is aimed to analyze a self-built corpus which comprised 29 news reports extracted from western newspapers 48 Chinese under the approach discursive practice, power ideology. To that end, analysis conducted comparative keywords key clusters lists, collocations “China is, China, China’s” “US, U.S., western” portrayed in selected discourse. The findings demonstrate both focused Uyghur forced labor Xinjiang cotton industry, with exception also include terms were initially used make claims about “forced labor” “genocide” Xinjiang. Under guise “human rights,” they fabricated “political correctness” surrounding issue words express frustration brands market government’s actions newspapers’ attempts blame government media for some brands’ decline popularity, highlighting state control case rather than free choice consumers. While mainly trying debunk dispel countries’ allegation so-called one hand, find out inform audience facts truth industry other hand. Adopting different discourse strategies when describing two sides, clearly demeaned “the other” China as “enemy” while sought reveal role U.S. true nature Cotton Event, meanwhile presenting strong condemnation explicitly stating there no room negotiation or compromise