Legitimizing Energy Transition in China: Governance Shifts and Media Representations Across Two Decades

This study investigates how the legitimacy of new energy development has been constructed in China over the past 2 decades through evolving governance strategies and media representations. Drawing on corpus-assisted discourse analysis of English-language reports from major Chinese media outlets (China Daily, Xinhua, and People’s Daily Online), the study examines how energy discourses—via keywords, nomination strategies, and news photographs—have aligned public narratives with shifting governance roles. Unlike previous studies that focus on specific technologies, short time periods, or firm-level legitimacy strategies, this study provides the first longitudinal, corpus-assisted multimodal analysis tracing how discursive legitimacy has evolved across four governance phases in China’s energy transition. The findings reveal four distinctive phases: early state-led technological experimentation, local-government-driven wind expansion, diversified innovation involving domestic firms and international partners, and a recentralized national strategy shaped by carbon-neutrality commitments. Across all phases, media discourse employed stable value-laden labels and increasingly affective visual strategies that normalized policy orientations and reinforced the legitimacy of evolving governance arrangements. These patterns demonstrate how discursive mechanisms function as tools of soft governance, complementing formal policy instruments by shaping public perceptions and expectations. Practically, the findings highlight how strategic framing and visual communication can strengthen societal support for low-carbon transitions, inform media guidance for public communication, and contribute to more effective governance of large-scale energy transformations. Overall, this study advances interdisciplinary research on energy governance by showing that legitimacy is not only institutionally enacted but also discursively constructed through long-term shifts in language, imagery, and governance priorities.