"China is…": China’s International Positioning and Self-Identity Definition in Xi Jinping’s Speeches

In a global age in which globalization potentially causes identity crises but also offers opportunities for reshaping identity, the construction of a national identity is “a core issue for a country seeking to safeguard its dignity and achieve its historical mission” (Men, 2014, p. 189). Currently, Chinese discourse around public diplomacy is imbued with this sense of historical mission; it is embedded in a trajectory of identity reconstruction, the most meaningful manifestation of which can be seen at the international level, where it is conceived in terms of international positioning. As Pu Xiaoyu maintains, “while the notion of the ‘revival of the Chinese nation’ implies the clear goal of ‘making China great again’, China’s ultimate place on the global stage is unclear” (Pu, 2017,  p. 133). In order to shed light on this aspect of PRC discourse, this chapter proposes a computer- assisted analysis of China’s self-definitions in political speeches delivered in international contexts. Section one outlines some essential aspects of the scholarly and political debate about China’s international positioning to help illustrate the ideological background framing the speeches. Section two discusses the reasons behind the choice to prioritize speeches given by Xi Jinping in particular to investigate the subjective dimension of China’s international positioning, while section three presents a detailed explanation of the methodology employed for this linguistic analysis and its main outcomes.