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Evaluative Language in Economic Reports of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Xinhua

Author

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  • Yuxin Tang

    (Xi’an University of Finance and Economics, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China)

  • Lingfeng Shen

    (Xi’an University of Finance and Economics, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China)

  • Hao He

    (Xi’an University of Finance and Economics, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China)

Abstract

This study investigates the use of evaluative language in English-language economic reports on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) published by Xinhua News Agency between 2015 and 2024. Drawing on a 95,000-word corpus of 120 articles, the research applies Appraisal Theory to identify patterns in how state-sponsored discourse constructs China’s global economic identity. The analysis reveals a systematic deployment of positive appraisal across Judgment and Appreciation categories, often intensified through Graduation and supplemented by externally validated voices. These patterns strategically position China as a visionary, trustworthy development leader while framing partner countries as aligned and grateful participants. Evaluation, in this context, is not merely descriptive but functions as a rhetorical device for legitimizing China’s global role, projecting ideological coherence, and naturalizing asymmetrical development relations. The findings call for a critical reassessment of how linguistic repetition, lexical regularity, and discursive framing in state media contribute to the construction of geopolitical narratives in economic journalism.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuxin Tang & Lingfeng Shen & Hao He, 2025. "Evaluative Language in Economic Reports of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Xinhua," Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies, Pioneer Academic Publishing Limited, vol. 4(3), pages 7-13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cvg:joulcs:v:4:y:2025:i:3:p:7-13
    DOI: 10.56397/JLCS.2025.08.02
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