U.S. vs. China's Tone Within the Media

Congress is currently in the midst of a two-week recess. During this time, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and a bipartisan delegation of nine other Senate members traveled to China in order to meet with Chinese leaders to discuss foreign policy, trade, human rights issues, and currency.

Reports about these meetings vary in tone depending on its source. A Washington Post blog just lists the members of the U.S. delegation and the topics slated for discussion with Chinese leaders. The article then speculates whether the delegates will meet with Jon Huntsman, the current Chinese ambassador and potential Republican candidate for the Presidential election next year. The remainder of the article proceeds to talk about Speaker of the House John Boehner’s visit to Pakistan.

Another article from USA Today spoke in more detail about the currency concerns the United States has about China’s currency manipulation in order to “gain a trade advantage over competitors.” The Obama administration not announced yet whether it will label China as a currency manipulator, but Harry Reid is quoted as saying, “How the United States and China work together on commerce, currency and clean energy will help determine the future health of the global economy."

In contrast to these two articles from American news sources, which focus primarily on the substance of the meetings in various amounts of detail, another article from Xinhuanet portrays the meetings in a less serious manner and places more on the importance of a delegation of “heavyweights” visiting China rather than the issues slated for discussion. Vice Premier Wang Qishan is quoted as saying, "Such a formation alone reflected the weight you place on China-U.S. relations.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was reported to have joked, “we may not have started this journey as heavyweights, but having spent two days in Hong Kong and Macao eating as we did, we are all heavyweights.”

The contrast between the first two articles and the final article can be interpreted by some to show the differences between how American and Chinese news sources are choosing to frame the meetings between the U.S. delegation and Chinese leaders. The more serious tone of the articles from the United States matches how most articles from American sources address issues concerning China while the article from the Chinese new media is consistent with the tone of nonchalance or assurance which China uses to address the same issues.