Neighbor by Miles and Neighbor by Steps: A Comparative Study of China’s National Image Construction

This study adopts Van Dijks (1995) Socio-Cognitive Approach, integrated with Buhmanns the 4D Model of National Image(2015), to conduct a comparative analysis of The Moscow Times and The New York Times in their discursive constructions of Chinas national image. At the discursive level, MT emphasizes cooperation, stability and peace through strategies of nomination, predication and perspectivization, while NYT focuses on regime risk, human rights issues and geopolitical expansion, displaying a strongly critical and emotionally charged tone. At the social level, the discursive styles reflect institutional and journalistic differences: Russian media aligns with national strategy, whereas U.S. media foregrounds its liberal watchdog function. At the cognitive level, the two countries exhibit significant differences: MT focuses on cooperation and stability with a generally positive tone, constructing the schema of China = Reliable Partner, while NYT adopts a more critical stance across functional, normative and aesthetic dimensions, reinforcing the schema of China = Authoritarian Threat. The divergent portrayals reflect a dual mechanism of national image construction through self-legitimation and othering-deprecation. This study highlights the importance of integrating macro-level image models with micro-level discursive practices, providing both theoretical and empirical insights for national image research across different political systems and cultural contexts.