Abstract:
As the "Belt and Road" initiative marks its tenth anniversary, China has cooperated extensively with countries involved in the initiative, achieving numerous outcomes in infrastructure construction, financial trade, and cultural exchanges. How the U.S. media, which guides Western public opinion, reports on the initiative has to some extent influenced the international community's perception of it. Guided by framing theory, this paper examines 2,309 news articles from 15 U.S. media outlets from January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2023, focusing on the changes in the U.S. media's reporting on the "Belt and Road" initiative over different periods. The study finds that the U.S. media's coverage has evolved from neglect to attention and then to focus, varying in terms of reporting intensity, depth of information, framing, and cross-platform communication.