Image of China in Russia: Country Image Forming in Context of “One Belt, One Road” Initiative

Abstract

The image of China in the Russian media is considered in the light of the functioning of the concept of “One Belt, One Road.” The relevance of the study is determined by the introduction of the initiative of the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping to create joint projects “Economic Belt of the Silk Road” and “Sea Silk Road of the 21^st Century” in which China and Russia are important partners. It is noted that the successful cooperation of the countries in the economic, political and cultural spheres largely depends on how the partner countries imagine each other. It is emphasized that in the era of informatization the image of the country in the eyes of the outside world is mainly formed by the media. It is shown that in some Russian print and electronic media the amount of information about China gradually increased, a rather positive image of China is formed in general, but in a number of publications the information is presented one-sided and sometimes wrongly. The authors believe that the Chinese authorities and society should continue to actively engage in the creation of a positive image of China as a strong and reliable partner.