Examining Representation of the Non-local: China in the UK Media in the Run-up to the Beijing Olympics

This article examines how the United Kingdom’s media represents contemporary China. Using the context of the Beijing Olympics, the article examines the UK media’s representation of China through the prisms of ideology, history and geopolitics. Using Content Analysis, the inquiry examines news reports on the Olympics published in the UK’s ‘national newspapers’ (as classified by Lexisnexis) between 9 May 2008 and 8 August 2008, the three-month period immediately preceding the games. The article finds the UK media’s narrative on China prejudiced by ideological differences, biases traceable to historical presuppositions, and anxieties emanating from China’s resurgence on the world stage.