De-westernizing Democracy: How Did China Rebrand Itself as Democracy?

• In Event: Media Influence in Authoritarian States

Abstract

Amid the heightened competition between autocracy and democracy, even authoritarian regimes strive to brand themselves as democracy. During the “Summit for Democracy” organized by the U.S. Biden administration, China released a White Paper titled “China: Democracy that Works”. The current scholarship on China and democracy either focuses on how China could move towards democracy through reform or portrays China as an autocracy. However, we know little about how China brands itself as a “democracy”. This study draws on the White Paper, state-owned media coverage, and the social media posts of the Chinese diplomats during the “Summit for Democracy” to explore how China communicates its meaning of democracy to the outside world. Using textual analysis and rhetorical analysis, this study shows that China attempted to redefine the meaning of democracy, shifting the democratic meaning from “free and fair election” to “functioning”. By doing so, the Chinese government competes with the U.S. and Western countries in terms of efficient functioning while delegitimizing the Western democracies as malfunctioning or dysfunctional, which helps the authoritarian regimes brand their superiority to election-oriented democratic institutions. Therefore, “democracy” transforms into a “myth” whose meanings are debatable, malleable, and open to interpretation. This study will contribute to the literature about democracy in China and China’s national branding.

Author

• Keyu Chen, Georgia State University