50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHINA-MALAYSIA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: CHINA’S NATIONAL IMAGE IN MAINSTREAM MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7i3.1146Keywords:
China, Malaysia, national image, The Star, Sin Chew DailyAbstract
Despite growing China-Malaysia ties, how Malaysian newspapers portray China’s national image in the context of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations remains underexplored. This research study examines three questions: the distribution of coverage across national image dimensions, evaluative attitudes, and differences between two major newspapers, The Star and Sin Chew Daily. Using quantitative content analysis, 112 articles published in 2023 (49 from The Star, 63 from Sin Chew Daily) were analyzed. Results indicate that functional coverage was most prominent, followed by aesthetic and normative dimensions. The Star exhibited a higher proportion of positive evaluations, emphasizing normative and international cooperation themes, while Sin Chew Daily presented a more balanced profile with greater focus on aesthetic aspects and community-relevant concerns regarding Chinese investments. These research findings suggest that Malaysian newspapers shape China’s national image not only through evaluative reporting but also via selective dimensional emphasis, reflecting audience, editorial priorities, and socio-political context.
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Copyright (c) 2026 YIFAN ZHU, ROSYA IZYANIE SHAMSHUDEEN, ROSILA BEE MOHD HUSSAIN, HAO ZHANG, JINGTONG CHENG
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