The Discourse Construction Mechanism of China's Ecological and Environmental Issues in Western Mainstream Media: an Analysis Based on the New York Times Corpus

The issue of ecological and environmental protection is shaped by diverse stances of nations and ethnic groups within the sphere of international geopolitics, forming a crucial discourse field in the context of globalization. This paper examines the media discourse of The New York Times, exploring its narrative construction and dissemination mechanisms concerning China's environmental issues. Based on empirical discourse analysis of a corpus, this study argues that The New York Times establishes a relatively comprehensive discourse framework in terms of textual dimension, thematic dimension, and discourse mechanism. Through the production of discourse elements, ideological construction, topic linkage and diffusion, as well as the accumulation of media influence, The New York Times employs a symbolic political resource framework that discursively positions China as an "alternative other". In the international communication of ecological and environmental issues, China should be guided by Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization, continue to improve its reporting mechanisms on ecological and environmental matters, enhance its international discourse power, build a discourse system with Chinese characteristics on ecological civilization, and strengthen the communication capacity and global influence of China's solutions in climate change governance.