Narratives and interstate relations: Understanding the depth of the Sino-Russo partnership through the narratives China and Russia propagate

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to understand the depth, scale and limitations of the Sino-Russo Partnership through the narratives propagated by Russia and China. Although the results are not completely conclusive due to the fact that there are other factors which will determine the depth of the partnership, it does provide an understanding of Sino-Russo interaction in a narrative context. To achieve these results, a collection of media sources has been taken from the global level, from Western Europe and the Balkans in order to identify the key narratives being exported by Russia and China and whether any placement of the other, be it positive or negative, is present in their respective narratives. This will also be achieved in tandem with the existing scholarly literature. The overall results showed a lack of negative placement in the media sources, suggesting an unwillingness to portray the other negatively for the sake of their partnership and some positive placement from both states towards the other, primarily in Western Europe and becoming minimal in the Balkans. The positive placement found was particularly interesting, providing connotations that there is a willingness to support each other but specifically in Western Europe where there seems to be more in common for projecting shared strength....