TITLE:
A Corpus-Based Study of Media Coverage of Pacific Island Countries
AUTHORS:
Shuo Zhao, Weili Li, Chen Ding
KEYWORDS:
Corpus, Media Coverage, Pacific Island Countries
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: This corpus-assisted discourse study examines how Pacific Island media represent Chinese infrastructure and culture. Drawing on two corpora from different countries, the analysis reveals four localization patterns: ceremonial focus with state voice, initiative focus with institutional voice, implementation focus with administrative-technical voice and entity focus with financial-corporate voice. In cultural reporting, a systematic mutual learning discourse emerges through “mutual,” “bridge,” and “share(d).” The findings demonstrate that external narratives are actively localized and re-contextualized within Pacific media, transforming China-related discourse into locally intelligible knowledge. The study provides an empirically grounded framework for understanding China’s discursive positioning in the region.