The concept of multipolarity in the Chinese contemporary discourse: a diachronic quantitative text analysis

The theme of multipolarity has gained increasing scholarly attention in China at the turn of the 21st century, particularly within the discourse of the nation’s intelligentsia. A systematic investigation of the Chinese academic database CNKI identifies two prominent and influential journals that have extensively addressed this topic: Shijie jingji yu zhengzhi 世界经 济与政治(WorldEconomy and Politics), published by the Institute of World Economy and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Waijiao pinglun 外交评论 (Foreign Affairs Review), published by the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. This study compiles a comprehensive dataset of articles on multipolarity from these journals, covering the period between 2000 and 2012, and organises them into two distinct corpora for quantitative text analysis, conducted using AntConc software and the methodological framework of Corpus Linguistics (CL). By employing CL tools such as frequency analysis, co-occurrence patterns, and syntactic arrangement, this research examines the evolution of the concept of multipolarity within the discourse of Chinese intelligentsia, with particular emphasis on how linguistic and narrative constructions articulate the perspectives of Chinese experts in International Relations. Through this approach, the study aims to elucidate the defining characteristics of China’s conceptualization of multipolarity and to assess some preliminary broader implications of this discourse for the nation’s global image, prestige, and pursuit of international legitimacy.