The Chinese Government Since The Reform And Opening Up Policy On The China Western Media

Since China plays a more and more important role in internatinal arena, China faces global media press manipulated by western media in China. To deal with western media in China is of vital imporatnce for China in terms of Soft Power and national image construction. In light with constructivism, this dissertation aims to analyze Chinese government's policy towards western media in China from 1978 to 2008, and to defend the theoretical hypothesis that the policy is a result of culture structure, national identity and national interests. Since China pays more heed to the opinions of international society, China, in turn, pays more attention to its relation with western media. Western media rediscovers a real China with China's openess. China has to deal smartly with western media in China to affiliate China's peaceful rise and build China's national image.This article adopts a layer-analytical approach by analyzing from three levels: the international level, the bilateral level of actors and the internal sytstem of the actor, which indentifies the factors of the cultural structure affecting Chinese government's policy towards the western media.In the text analysis, this article divides China's policy towards the western media into three periods. In the first period, from 1978 to 1989, the honeymoon period, China and western media enjoyed their first and interesting experience; the second period, from 1990 to 2000, also the vibration period, the bilateral relation changed overnight due to the Tian'anmen incident in 1989; in the third stage, from 2001 to 2008, the stability period, with China's openess and rise, Chinese government and western media in China construt a more stable and closer relation.China enjoyed its first and interesting experience with the mainstream western media. China tried to formulate rules and regulations on the activities of western meida, while western media in China covered China reports with a fresh and curious perpective; in the second period, from 1990 to 2000, the bilateral relation changed overnight due to the Tian'anmen incident in 1989. Western media,with its inborn arrogance and bias, fabricated various versions of China Threat and China Collapse. While China adopted a new but more strict rules on the management of western media, which symbolized the increase of mutual distrust. In the third stage, from 2001 to 2008, with China's peaceful rise, western media rediscover a real and multi-faced China with a more rational perspective. China soon adapted to the international rules by dint of hosting the Olympic Games, providing internationa standard service and working environment to western media. The bilatral relations proceeds towards stability.In the empirical justification, this article argues that in the 1980s, China corrected its radical foreign policy and began to contact western media extensively. As the biggest developing country, Chinese government veiwed western media in China as an instrument to let the rest of the world know more about itself. In the 1990s, although Chinese government issued a more strict policy towards western media, as a responsible Asia Pacific power, China kept close relation with western media. In the twenty-first century, as China becomes a responsible power of the world, Chinese government pays more and more attention to mainstream opinion of the international society and western media in China. China issued new policy with in compliance with international practice. China Responsibility and China Opputunity constituts the mainstream point of view of the wetern media.In the part of conclusion, the dissertation argues that the identity factors determine China's policy and point of view. With China's openess and rise in international arena, China will pay more attention to western media in China, while western mdia will have a more objective and deeper unstanding about China. In the long run, China should be more active in affecting western media and build national image.