The World Is Grateful to China: Chinese Government Discourse During COVID-19

Abstract

In China, gratitude has often been promoted through political discourse, particularly to the Chinese Communist Party and its leaders. Traditionally, this discourse has focused on Chinese citizens’ gratitude. But this has changed recently. This article applies summative content analysis to examine discourses of gratitude promoted by the Party during the COVID-19 pandemic. As it shows, the Party has emphasized three discourses to promote gratitude in relation to its COVID-19 policies and otherwise serve its interests: (1) gratitude of international entities to China, (2) gratitude of China to the international community, and (3) gratitude of Chinese people to the party. This reflects a shift of emphasis from valuing domestic gratitude to recognizing international gratitude of people and groups toward China. After reporting on these findings, the article discusses the rationales for this shift and its implications.