Xi’s Call to ‘Tell the China Story Well’ – An Understanding of China’s Discourse Power

To contest the discursive hegemony of the West, China has been striving to have a greater say in the way it is represented on the world stage. It is believed that China’s voice in international affairs is not commensurate with its increasing hard power. In this context, the article seeks to approach China’s quest for international discourse power from a three-fold framework: first, explore the concept of discourse power; second, assess the Chinese understanding of discourse power; and third, examine China’s efforts to enhance its discourse power with a special focus on the role of the Chinese State media.