THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF CHINA’S DEMOGRAPHIC POLICY IN THE MEDIA OF CHINA, RUSSIA, AND THE UNITED STATES (2013–2024): A CORPUS-BASED ANALYSIS

Abstract

The research examines the discursive construction of China’s demographic policy in the media space of China, the United States, and Russia during the period from 2013 to 2024. Based on the corpus analysis of collocations of the keyword “policy,” the study identifies discursive strategies employed in media messages of the three countries. The research methodology combines critical discourse analysis with the use of AntConc 4.2.4 software. The findings reveal that Chinese media form a “developmentalist” discourse presenting the policy as a rational instrument of national development, American media employ a liberal individualism framework emphasizing the coercive nature of the policy and its negative consequences, while Russian media demonstrate a more objective observer stance with a balanced approach, avoiding strongly evaluative judgments. The identified differences reflect the ideological orientations and strategic positions of the three countries, manifested in systematic variations of discursive models. The study demonstrates how demographic policy discourse functions as a platform for ideological confrontation in international communication and national image formation.