Abstract
The intensifying China-U.S. rivalry, now evolving into a broader ideological competition between autocracy and democracy, highlights the significance of studying “democracy” as an ideograph. This study examines how the rhetoric of “democracy” is employed in the public diplomacy efforts of China Global Television Network (CGTN), the main media platform for China’s global information campaign. By combining computer-assisted topic modeling with qualitative analysis, the study explores CGTN’s messaging on “democracy” across Facebook and Instagram over five years (2019-2023). The findings reveal that CGTN generally frames “democracy” in a negative light, associating it with institutional inefficiency in the Global North and with political violence and social disorder in the Global South. These results suggest that China seeks to expand its global influence and shape international governance by redefining “democracy” in its ideological competition with the U.S.-led West.