Possibilities of the Theory of Strategic Narratives in the Analysis of China’s Foreign Policy Discourse Under Chairman Xi Jinping

The theory of strategic narratives serves as a vital analytical tool in strategic communication research, enabling the study of discourse formation mechanisms and the dissemination of persuasive messaging aimed at advancing a state’s political, economic and ideological objectives. This article examines existing theoretical approaches to the study of strategic narratives, assessing their effectiveness in analyzing China’s official discourse as a set of communicative efforts designed to achieve its foreign policy goals. Particular attention is paid to how China employs strategic narratives as an instrument of soft power to promote its interests on the global stage. The study employs poststructuralist expert discourse analysis of Hansen L. and intertextual analysis, resulting in the systematization and classification of theoretical approaches of studying strategic narratives. Three key theoretical frameworks for studying strategic narratives (cognitive, discursive, and constructivist) were identified, and an assessment of the features of each of them in solving this problem was given. The cognitive approach focuses on audience perception of narratives, the discursive approach emphasizes linguistic and rhetorical strategies in narrative construction, and the constructivist one examines socio-political contexts and meaning-making processes. Each approach is evaluated in terms of its analytical potential, strengths and limitations. The study concludes that a combined constructivist-discursive approach is most effective for a comprehensive analysis of China’s official foreign policy discourse. This synthesis allows for an examination of both the linguistic features of narratives and their role in shaping international relations. The research contributes to the advancement of strategic narrative theory by proposing an integrated framework for analyzing state-level strategic communication. It also enhances the understanding of China’s soft power mechanisms, offering valuable insights for scholars of international relations, political scientists, and public diplomacy practitioners.