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China’s “Civilization Discourse” and Dual Community Narratives in the Xi Jinping Era: A Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)

Seo Sangmin

국민대학교 중국인문사회연구소

Published: January 2026 · Vol. 90, No. 0 · pp. 211-245

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33334/sieas.2026.45.1.211

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Abstract

This study examines how the "Civilization Discourse" in Xi Jinping‘s era structurally links the internal narrative of the "Community for the Chinese Nation(ZMG)" with the external vision of the "Community of Shared Future for Mankind(RMG)." Utilizing Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA) as a methodological framework, this paper analyzes key official texts, including the report to the 20th National Congress. The analysis reveals that the two community narratives are not contradictory but mutually reinforcing through a logic of "internal molding and external projection." Specifically, the ZMG discourse functions to consolidate a unified internal identity by emphasizing the "casting" of the Chinese nation, thereby securing domestic stability. Conversely, the RMG discourse projects this internal success as a universal "Chinese solution" to the Global South, challenging Western-centric norms. The study argues that this dual structure serves a fundamental political purpose: shifting the Chinese Communist Party‘s basis of legitimacy from economic performance to "civilizational inheritance." Ultimately, the "Civilization Discourse" operates as a strategic apparatus to justify strengthened internal control while simultaneously expanding China’s international discursive power(huayuquan) under the banner of "Chinese Modernization" and a "New Form of Human Civilization."
Keywords: 문명 담론중화민족공동체인류운명공동체비판적 담론 분석정치적 정당성