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An exploration of the role of the news media in the development of EU-China relations after the end of the Cold War, this book provides empirical evidence to support what Nye and Anholt have argued: that branding a country´s image is soft power. The author examines the nature of European Union and China coverage in Chinese and European news media respectively and explores how the economics, politics, and journalistic practice interplay in shaping the coverage. Based on this analysis, the author delves into the relationship between the news media and their foreign policy toward each other in terms of both the general direction of policy-making and the policy in a specific issue area. Including not only content analysis of media coverage, but also has first-hand interview materials with the officials involved in the decision-making process and the journalists involved in reporting the EU and China, the book sheds light on the way in which the media construct the post-Cold War world and therefore play a role in transforming international relations.

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Soft power, country image and media-policy interrelations in international politics PART I: MEDIA PERCEPTION AND INFLUENCING Factors The changing images of China: A longitudinal representation in the European transnational media The Changing Images of the EU: A longitudinal representation in the People´s Daily PART II: NEWS MEDIA - FOREIGN POLICY INTERRELATIONS China´s national interests, foreign policy and the media coverage of the EU Media influence: Media coverage and the EU´s China policy-making Policy indexing: Media coverage and the EU´s human rights policy regarding China Discussions and Conclusions

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"Li Zhang has produced the first comparative analysis of mutual media portrayals between China and Europe. The study reveals the dissonant images that underlie and reflect the discordant diplomatic relationship between Beijing and Brussels in recent years. Mixing quantitative and qualitative analysis, this book provides a baseline for future studies." - David Shambaugh, George Washington University & the Brookings Institution

"Innovative in its approach and comparative in its framework, this book significantly contributes to bridging the gap between media studies and international relations." - Daya Thussu, Professor of International Communication, University of Westminster, London

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LI ZHANG Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham, UK.

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