COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FRAMING OF THE CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC) IN THE DAILIES OF PAKISTAN AND CHINA

Abstract

The purpose of this research, entitled "Framing of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the leading press of Pakistan and China," is to gain an understanding of how the press in both countries (the Pakistani newspaper Daily Dawn and the Chinese newspaper China Daily) has framed CPEC in relation to issues such as trade development and economic growth, regional peace and security, job creation, the energy sector, the port of Karachi as a gateway to international waters, the route to the Central Asian Republics. Supportive, unsupportive, and neutral stances towards CPEC and associated concerns are also considered. The study's primary assumptions are that journalists in Pakistan and China would frame CPEC positively, and the international community will respond positively to the project. Agenda setting theory is utilised to analyse the media agendas of both countries, and the theory of framing is used to compare and contrast the two countries' dominant news coverage. From January 1st, 2021 to December 31st, 2022, the news and editorial pages of the chosen newspapers are analysed. To further understand how these CPEC-related challenges are being framed, a content analysis has been conducted. The findings show that both media present concerns related to CPEC in a positive light and provide largely positive coverage of them.

Keywords: Corridor, Framing, Agenda.