Enhancing the Effectiveness of International Communication through Discourse System Construction

Communication capacity determines influence; discursive power determines the initiative. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new judgments on strengthening and improving international communication work. Guided by these, we have vigorously promoted the integrity and innovation of international communication, straightened out the internal and external publicity systems, actively promoted Chinese culture to go global, effectively carried out international public opinion guidance and struggle, significantly enhanced the cohesion of the Chinese nation and the influence of Chinese culture, and continuously improved the country's soft power. At the same time, it must also be noted that the United States and the West, leveraging their advantages in international communication platforms, have launched various "public opinion wars" and "cognitive wars" against China, slandering and smearing China's national image, and creating many topics and expressions that confound right and wrong. Breaking the US-Western monopoly on discourse, enabling the world to hear China's voice, understand China's reasoning, and accept China's ideas is increasingly important.

传播力决定影响力，话语权决定主动权。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记对加强和改进国际传播工作提出一系列新思想新观点新论断。以此为指引，我们大力推动国际传播守正创新，理顺内宣外宣体制，积极推动中华文化走出去，有效开展国际舆论引导和斗争，中华民族凝聚力和中华文化影响力显著增强，国家软实力持续提高。同时也要看到，美西方利用国际传播平台优势，对我国发动各种“舆论战”“认知战”，诋毁抹黑我国国家形象，制造不少颠倒是非的话题和表述。打破美西方话语垄断，让世界听得见中国声音、听得懂中国道理、听得进中国理念越来越重要。

The "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," reviewed and approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2024. The "Proposal" mentioned here refers to the draft guidelines for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which was a key agenda item of that session., proposes to "improve the international communication system and mechanism, innovate communication carriers and methods, strengthen the construction of key bases, enhance the international communication capacity of mainstream media, comprehensively improve international discursive power, tell China's story well, and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China. Strengthen area and country studies, and enhance the effectiveness of international communication." This is an important deployment made by the Party Central Committee for solidly advancing the construction of a cultural power during the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan [2]2 The 15th Five-Year Plan refers to China's national development plan for the period 2026-2030.. To enhance the effectiveness of international communication, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a Chinese discourse system with academic support, a complete structure, and precise expression, continuously improve narrative capacity, and form an international discursive power commensurate with China's comprehensive national strength and international status.

党的二十届四中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》提出，“完善国际传播体制机制，创新传播载体和方式，加强重点基地建设，增强主流媒体国际传播能力，全面提升国际话语权，讲好中国故事，展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。加强区域国别研究，提升国际传播效能”。这是党中央面向“十五五”时期扎实推进文化强国建设作出的重要部署。提升国际传播效能，需要加快构建有学理支撑、结构完整、表达精准的中国话语体系，不断提升叙事能力，形成同我国综合国力和国际地位相匹配的国际话语权。

Consolidate academic support. International communication is, on the surface, the cross-border transmission of information, but at a deeper level, it is the presentation of values and the exchange of ideas. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed, "Build a strategic communication system with distinct Chinese characteristics, and strive to enhance the influence of international communication, the appeal of Chinese culture, the affinity of China's image, the persuasiveness of Chinese discourse, and the guiding power of international public opinion." To achieve this goal, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a discourse system. The essence of discourse system construction lies in forming a knowledge system rooted in the Chinese standpoint, structured by academic logic, and shaped by international expression, so that Chinese practice has a stable framework of interpretation in the global context. Chinese civilization has long emphasized "cultivating sincerity in rhetoric" [3]3 "Cultivating sincerity in rhetoric" (修辞立其诚) is a classical Chinese phrase from the *Book of Changes* (Yijing), emphasizing that speech and writing should be grounded in sincerity and truthfulness., valuing gaining trust through reason and establishing words with sincerity. This provides an important reference for how contemporary Chinese narratives can maintain sincerity, rationality, and logical consistency. Academic support can enhance the explanatory power of narratives, moving communication from information presentation to meaning generation, and from empirical narration to ideological expression. Facing diverse audiences and complex issues, Chinese narratives need to conduct more comprehensive and accurate theoretical and systematic expressions around major themes such as Chinese-path modernization, new quality productive forces, and mutual learning among civilizations, transforming rich practical experience into intellectual resources that can be understood across cultures. We must not only tell the material achievements of China's development well, vividly demonstrate the ideological and spiritual power behind China's development, refine and present the spiritual symbols of Chinese civilization, but also be adept at actively participating in the creation of global issues with iconic concepts, forming Chinese expressions in the international public opinion arena, clarifying China's position, and putting forward China's initiatives.

夯实学理支撑。国际传播表面上是信息的跨境传递，深层上则是价值的呈现与思想的交流。习近平总书记提出，“构建具有鲜明中国特色的战略传播体系，着力提高国际传播影响力、中华文化感召力、中国形象亲和力、中国话语说服力、国际舆论引导力”。要实现这一目标，必须加快构建话语体系。话语体系建设的要义，在于形成一个以中国立场为根、以学理逻辑为筋、以国际表达为形的知识体系，使中国实践在全球语境中具有稳定的解释框架。中华文明长期强调“修辞立其诚”，重视以理见信、以诚立言，这为当代中国叙事如何保持真诚、理性与逻辑一致性提供了重要借鉴。学理支撑能够提升叙事的解释力，使传播从信息呈现走向意义生成，从经验讲述走向思想表达。面对多元受众和复杂议题，中国叙事需要围绕中国式现代化、新质生产力、文明交流互鉴等重大主题进行更全面更准确的理论化、体系化表达，使丰富的实践经验转换为能够跨文化理解的思想资源。我们不仅要讲好中国发展取得的物质成就，鲜明展现中国发展背后的思想力量和精神力量，提炼并呈现中华文明精神标识，而且要善于以标识性概念等积极参与全球性议题的创设，在国际舆论场形成中国表达，阐明中国立场、提出中国倡议。

Promote dialogue and exchange. This is an important way to enhance the affinity and intellectual penetration of international communication. Currently, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, local conflicts and turmoil are frequent, global problems are intensifying, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. At the same time, major propositions put forward by China, such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, have aroused strong reactions and resonance from the international community. Countries around the world are more eager to gain an in-depth understanding of China and look forward to hearing China's voice on major international issues. The key to making the world understand China lies in eliminating cognitive biases and enhancing value identification through effective communication. This requires not only responding to international concerns with rational and clear expressions, but also narrowing the psychological distance through narratives rich in emotional warmth, and bridging the understanding gap through knowledge-level exchanges. Dialogue and exchange emphasize an open attitude towards the world, enhancing understanding through dialogue and increasing mutual trust through exchange, so that international communication goes beyond mere expression of positions and becomes a process of meaning interaction and consensus generation. Facing the increasingly fragmented and diversified characteristics of global audiences, Chinese discourse needs to pay more attention to practical concerns and life experiences in its expression. Through specific and vivid scene presentations, perceptible practical experiences, and narrative methods with a sense of the times, Chinese ideas can be more easily perceived and accepted. Improving the effectiveness of communication and understanding depends not only on think tanks and academic institutions providing systematic and solid knowledge support, but also on the active participation of groups such as youth in cross-cultural expression, using an internationalized language system to tell China's experiences and thoughts, and enhancing the international community's understanding and identification with China through continuous dialogue.

推进对话交流。这是提升国际传播亲和度与思想穿透力的重要方式。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，局部冲突和动荡频发，全球性问题加剧，世界进入新的动荡变革期。与此同时，我国提出的全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议、全球文明倡议、全球治理倡议等重大主张引起国际社会强烈反响和共鸣，世界各国更加期望深入了解中国，期盼在重大国际问题上听到来自中国的声音。让世界听得懂中国，关键在于以有效沟通消弭认知偏差、增进价值认同。这既需要以理性、清晰的表达方式回应国际关切，也需要通过富有情感温度的叙事方式拉近心理距离，通过知识层面的交流弥合理解鸿沟。对话交流强调的是一种面向世界的开放姿态，在对话中增进了解、在交流中提升互信，使国际传播不止于立场表达，而成为意义互动与共识共生的过程。面对全球受众日益分众化、多样化的特点，中国话语需要在表达上更加注重现实观照与生活体验，通过具体而生动的场景呈现、可感可知的实践经验和具有时代感的叙事方式，使中国理念更易被感知和接受。提升沟通理解的实效，既依赖智库和学术机构提供系统、扎实的知识支撑，也需要青年等群体积极参与跨文化表达，以国际化的语言体系讲述中国的经验与思想，在持续对话中增进国际社会对中国的理解与认同。

Build consensus on cooperation. The significance of communication is not only reflected in the cross-border flow of information, but also increasingly manifested as the encounter, understanding, and mutual inspiration between different civilizations. Civilizations become colorful through exchange, and civilizations become rich through mutual learning. To enhance the effectiveness of international communication, we should pay more attention to the unique value of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, promote mutual understanding through cultural communication, and continuously accumulate a foundation of consensus in the dialogue of different civilizations. Looking back at history, China's foreign exchanges have always been characterized by an open mind, a peaceful attitude, and a spirit of seeking knowledge, winning the trust of the world with wisdom and sincerity. It is precisely through continuous exchange and mutual learning that Chinese civilization has continuously enriched itself and made important contributions to the development of human civilization. In the current era of multipolarity and informatization, international audiences are more concerned about whether ideas have universal significance and whether experiences have referential value. Mutual learning among civilizations can help international communication break through the limitations of one-way output, allowing China's story and world experience to generate new understandings and possibilities in interaction. Adapting to the trends of mobilization, socialization, and visualization in the field of international communication, we should accelerate the construction of a discourse system that integrates China and the world, innovate online communication discourse, tell China's story well in a way that audiences are willing to accept and easy to understand, present the modern value of Chinese ideas with sincere communication, and demonstrate the development path of China's exploration with vivid practices, making it both intellectually elevated and emotionally warm, so that while the world understands China, it can also think about multiple possibilities for future development through China's experience.

凝聚合作共识。传播的意义不仅体现为信息的跨境流动，也日益表现为不同文明之间的相遇、理解与相互启发。文明因交流而多彩，文明因互鉴而丰富。提升国际传播效能，应更加注重发挥文明交流互鉴的独特价值，以文化沟通促进相互理解，在不同文明的对话中不断积累共识基础。回望历史，中华文明的对外交往始终以开放的胸怀、和平的态度和求知的精神为底色，以智慧和真诚赢得世界的信任。正是在持续的交流互鉴中，中华文明不断丰富自身，也为人类文明发展作出重要贡献。在当今多极化与信息化交织的时代背景下，国际受众更关注理念是否具有普遍意义、经验是否具有可借鉴价值。文明互鉴能够帮助国际传播突破单向输出的局限，让中国故事与世界经验在互动中生成新的理解与可能。顺应国际传播领域移动化、社交化、可视化的趋势，加快构建融通中外的话语体系，创新网络传播话语，以受众乐于接受和易于理解的方式讲好中国故事，用真诚沟通呈现中国理念的现代价值，用生动实践展示中国探索的发展路径，使其既有思想高度也有情感温度，使世界在了解中国的同时，也通过中国经验思考未来发展的多种可能。

Communication is the extension of civilization; discourse is the form of thought. Enhancing the effectiveness of international communication through discourse system construction is an inherent requirement of building a cultural power and an important way to promote Chinese-path modernization to the world. In the New Era, international communication should enhance understanding and build consensus in harmony amidst diversity, gather strength and deepen identification in mutual knowledge and respect, and interpret ideas and transmit values in exchange and mutual learning, so that the power of reason and the charm of civilization complement each other, and China's voice becomes clearer, warmer, and more enduring in the chorus of world civilizations.

传播是文明的延伸，话语是思想的形态。以话语体系建设提升国际传播效能，是建设文化强国的题中应有之义，也是推动中国式现代化走向世界的重要途径。新时代国际传播应在和而不同中增进理解、凝聚共识，在相知相敬中汇聚力量、深化认同，在交流互鉴中阐释理念、传递价值，让理性的力量与文明的气韵相得益彰，让中国声音在世界文明的合唱中更加清晰、温润、持久。

(Author: Wu Peng, Distinguished Researcher of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Ministry of Education, Associate Professor of the School of Marxism, Southwest University)

（作者：武 鹏，系教育部习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、西南大学马克思主义学院副教授）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧