China’s Image in Malaysian Mainstream Newspapers: Comparing Belt & Road Initiative Media Framing Across Languages

Abstract

Malaysia has marked more than a decade of partnership with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The new Pakatan Harapan government, led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has reaffirmed Malaysia’s support for the BRI and committed to enhancing trade cooperation with China, suggesting positive prospects for bilateral relations. Therefore, understanding media portrayals of the BRI is essential. While previous studies have explored media framing of China and the BRI, less attention has been given to differences across language newspapers. In Malaysia’s multiracial society, newspapers in different languages reflect distinct ethnic perspectives. Through quantitative content analysis, this study reveals that Chinese-language newspapers emphasise issues related to Chinese cultural inheritance, which are rarely seen in Malay and English language newspapers. Malay newspapers focus more on issues related to the ECRL, while English-language newspapers feature more international news, particularly on international and ASEAN collaboration. These differences reflect historical, cultural and political orientations that shape how the BRI is framed across Malaysia’s multilingual media landscape.