Belt And Road Initiative

Media Narratives in Portugal

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34624/ro.v0i5.40600

Keywords:

New Silk Road, Belt and Road Initiative, Sino-Portuguese relations, Media narratives, International relations.

Abstract

In 2013, Xi Jinping unveiled to the world the 一带一路 (Yi Dai Yi Lu) project, translated into English as “One Belt, One Road” (later known as Belt and Road Initiative), a project that proposed to develop and facilitate connectivity between countries and peoples around the world, outlining five main objectives: better communication of national policies, better transport connectivity, better trade facilitation, better currency conversion, and better exchange of people.

It is mainly (but not exclusively) an investment and infrastructure construction plan, particularly associated with transport such as ports, roads, railways, and airports, but also including other types of infrastructure such as power plants and telecommunications networks.

The BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) is controversial, with different (sometimes opposing) views on its potential benefits (as claimed by the Chinese government and its supporters) or risks (as claimed by its critics).

Some academics have criticized the way the BRI is framed by both perspectives, namely for being too sinocentric and ignoring the agency and perspective of the countries involved. This article aims to help reduce this gap in perspectives by analyzing the media perspectives of one of the BRI recipient countries: Portugal. This article is based on an analysis of all articles published online by the newspaper Público between 2018 and 2022 that mention the BRI. Two considerations influenced the time frame of the articles: the signing of the NRS Memorandum of Understanding by Portugal in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Público was selected because it is the most widely read Portuguese newspaper online.

Author Biography

  • Diogo Silva, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

    Diogo Silva é Licenciado em Tradução e Interpretação Português-Chinês/Chinês-Português pela Escola Superior de Educação e Ciências Sociais do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria; Mestre em Estudos Asiáticos pelo Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies da Lund University, Suécia; e Doutorando em Relações Internacionais pela FCSH da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, integrando o IPRI-Nova como colaborador.

    Como ex-bolseiro de doutoramento da FCT, colaborou com o Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau no papel de organizador, supervisor e revisor no processo de publicação de vários artigos, números temáticos de revistas científicas e livros académicos. O presente artigo é baseado em parte do trabalho da sua tese de doutoramento. A sua tese de mestrado, sobre a disputa territorial sino-japonesa pelas ilhas no leste do mar da China, serviu como base para o livro Chinese and Japanese Narratives: The Diaoyu/Senkaku Dispute (publicado pelo Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau).

    Tem experiência de ensino de português, chinês e inglês como segundas línguas (na Hainan Foreign Language College of Professional Education, na Beijing Normal University – ramo de Zhuhai; e no Instituto Politécnico de Leiria), assim como de tradutor e intérprete nestas três línguas.

References

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Frankopan, P. (2018). The new silk roads: the present and future of the world. Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Público. (2019). PÚBLICO é o jornal com mais leitores online em Portugal. https://www.publico.pt/2019/07/11/sociedade/noticia/publico-jornal-leitores-online-portugal-1879588.

Stanzel, A. (2017). China’s Belt And Road – New Name, Same Doubts?. European Council on Foreign Relations. https://ecfr.eu/article/commentary_chinas_belt_and_road_new_name_same_doubts/

Wang, R., Zhen, P. & Liu, Y. (2023). The “Debt Trap” or the “Benefit Pie” View of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on Host Countries: Evidence from Chinese Enterprises. Outward Foreign Direct Investment, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 59(7), 2269-2282.

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Issue

No. 5 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Authors retain copyright.

Creative Commons License: Attribution 4.0 International.