Australian Studies in China
Primary Resources and Australian Values:Media Analysis of the Reports on Exports of Energy Products to China in the Australian Newspapers
Abstract
Abstract
This thesis aims at studying Australians images of China through Australian media representation of Australian energy exports to China and explores how the Australian core values of liberal-democracy filter into the images of China. One important linkage between Australia and China is their complementary trade of energy products. Due to the special features of energy products --- the indispensability of energy products in the economic development; the sensitivity of nuclear products’ military application; and environmental damages that arouse from energy consumption --- the energy trade is embedded with economic interests and strategic and environmental concerns of Australia. Thus it is frequently discussed and focused in the media. Applying quantitative and qualitative analyses on sixty samples drawn from three Australian popular newspapers, the thesis presents the images of China in the Australian newspapers: China is perceived as both an economic opportunity and a challenge; the Chinese political system is largely different from that of Australia; the Chinese socialist market economy is still at the preliminary stage, in which the Chinese government plays an important role in it; and the Chinese people’s basic rights have not been fully achieved. Furthermore, through the analysis of Australian values underpinning Australian national identity in the enmeshment with Asia, particularly with China, the thesis concludes that the Australian values in the liberal-democracy have penetrated and shaped their reflections of China.
The study is based on Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism, the Structuralist-Marxist theory, and the theory in news values, to demonstrate the influence of the image formulators’ own cultural identity to the images and the force of media in the construction and maintenance of the common values in the society. In view of different ownerships of the newspapers, and in order to include the national and local, the broadsheet and tabloid, and the liberal and conservative newspapers, three newspapers were chosen: The Australian, The Age, and The Herald Sun. With the key words “energy, export, China” being searched in three newspapers during the publishing period from 1 July 2006 to 31 December 2007, 542 pieces of samples were located in The Australian, 162 from The Age, and 84 from The Herald Sun. Then the method of randomness is adopted to choose 20 samples from each newspaper. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are applied to study the 60 samples to explore the images of China in Australian media. Further discussion is made about the Australian core values as liberal-democracy, the reasons and importance to emphasize those values in the interactions with China, and the representation of those values in the samples. The thesis concluded that the values in liberal-democracy have penetrated into the Australian perceptions of China.
The significance of this research is that it presents the contemporary images of China in the Australian newspapers. The research also explores the role of Australian values in the formation of the images of China. It opens new topics for further researches on the images of China through the perspective of bilateral trade, so as to promote the Australia-China relations to a higher level.
Key Words: Australian values, liberal-democracy, images of China, media representation
This thesis aims at studying Australians images of China through Australian media representation of Australian energy exports to China and explores how the Australian core values of liberal-democracy filter into the images of China. One important linkage between Australia and China is their complementary trade of energy products. Due to the special features of energy products --- the indispensability of energy products in the economic development; the sensitivity of nuclear products’ military application; and environmental damages that arouse from energy consumption --- the energy trade is embedded with economic interests and strategic and environmental concerns of Australia. Thus it is frequently discussed and focused in the media. Applying quantitative and qualitative analyses on sixty samples drawn from three Australian popular newspapers, the thesis presents the images of China in the Australian newspapers: China is perceived as both an economic opportunity and a challenge; the Chinese political system is largely different from that of Australia; the Chinese socialist market economy is still at the preliminary stage, in which the Chinese government plays an important role in it; and the Chinese people’s basic rights have not been fully achieved. Furthermore, through the analysis of Australian values underpinning Australian national identity in the enmeshment with Asia, particularly with China, the thesis concludes that the Australian values in the liberal-democracy have penetrated and shaped their reflections of China.
The study is based on Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism, the Structuralist-Marxist theory, and the theory in news values, to demonstrate the influence of the image formulators’ own cultural identity to the images and the force of media in the construction and maintenance of the common values in the society. In view of different ownerships of the newspapers, and in order to include the national and local, the broadsheet and tabloid, and the liberal and conservative newspapers, three newspapers were chosen: The Australian, The Age, and The Herald Sun. With the key words “energy, export, China” being searched in three newspapers during the publishing period from 1 July 2006 to 31 December 2007, 542 pieces of samples were located in The Australian, 162 from The Age, and 84 from The Herald Sun. Then the method of randomness is adopted to choose 20 samples from each newspaper. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are applied to study the 60 samples to explore the images of China in Australian media. Further discussion is made about the Australian core values as liberal-democracy, the reasons and importance to emphasize those values in the interactions with China, and the representation of those values in the samples. The thesis concluded that the values in liberal-democracy have penetrated into the Australian perceptions of China.
The significance of this research is that it presents the contemporary images of China in the Australian newspapers. The research also explores the role of Australian values in the formation of the images of China. It opens new topics for further researches on the images of China through the perspective of bilateral trade, so as to promote the Australia-China relations to a higher level.
Key Words: Australian values, liberal-democracy, images of China, media representation
Keywords
Australian values, liberal-democracy, images of China, media representation
Australian Studies in China: Research on Australia by Chinese scholars.