China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: News Discourse Analysis of Indian Print Media

Abstract

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has turned a new leaf in historically proven Sino-Pak relations. CPEC is expected to give easier and cheaper access to China to the Middle East and regional countries by connecting Pakistan’s seaport, Gwadar with Western China. With this development comes the Chinese commitment to support Pakistan’s crippling economy. Despite tremendous economic and strategic benefits attached to the region, CPEC is critically debated in Indian policy circles and Indian media. India worries over China’s rise in the Middle East thereby, getting dominance in South East Asia. This paper examines the construction of CPEC issuein Indian media through news discourse analysis. It sheds light on how the Indian media shapeits public opinion through dominant media frames by presenting an organized stereotyping projection of CPEC.