From the Local to the Global: Paradigm Shift in China’s External Communication Discourse System and the Construction of International Discourse Power

  • YANG Feng
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Online published: 2026-01-28

Abstract

China’s international communication currently faces a profound dilemma characterized by the inability to articulate its positions effectively, limited reach in dissemination, and a lack of resonance even when messages are spread. The root cause lies in the longstanding adherence to an instrumental paradigm centered on linguistic conversion, which overlooks the essence of external communication as a process of knowledge production and power construction. The key to enhancing China’s international discourse power is to facilitate a paradigm shift from mere discourse delivery to knowledge translation. Through the theoretical lens of Transknowletology, this paper constructs a four-dimensional analytical framework: de-localization, re-localization, trans-localization, and globalization, systematically elucidating how local Chinese practices can be transformed into intelligible, dialogical, and shareable global public knowledge. The paper argues that only by transcending superficial linguistic correspondence and delving into the cognitive frameworks and meaning systems behind discourses can creative knowledge translation practices break the Western-centric narrative monopoly, establish the legitimacy and influence of Chinese discourse within pluralistic knowledge communities, and ultimately achieve a fundamental shift in international discourse power from reactive response to proactive definition.

Cite this article

YANG Feng . From the Local to the Global: Paradigm Shift in China’s External Communication Discourse System and the Construction of International Discourse Power[J]. Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies, 2025 , 25(6) : 1 -9 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2025.06.001

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