The Polar Silk Road in the Popular Press: Global Media Framing of China’s 2018 Arctic Policy White Paper

• Main Author: Moscato, Derek
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2018
• Subjects: Global news outlets; Global media; China Arctic relationship; Journalism Studies; Arctic
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/journalism_facpubs/18; https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=journalism_facpubs

China’s issuance of its 2018 Arctic Policy white paper, calling for a “Polar Silk Road,” provides a unique lens into how narratives about China are fostered in global news outlets. The white paper, garnering headlines from international media outlets, provided the kind of foreign policy milestone that allowed journalists to develop a narrative about the country’s interest and actions in the polar sphere. Drawing from media framing theory, this study seeks to establish how three prominent media outlets from North America, Europe, and Asia covered China’s highprofile Arctic publication. Using news stories and a qualitative analysis, this paper’s analysis offers a glimpse into the dynamic interplay of global media and policy at a time when China’s interests converge with the Arctic’s increasingly prominent place in international affairs. China’s self-identification as a “Near-Arctic State” has created an inevitable focal point for the press and subsequent dialogue highlighting the convergence of Chinese and Arctic affairs.