CHINA'S GROWING DISCOURSE POWER AND RESURGENT AUTHORITARIANISM

The Chinese term huayuquan is translated as "discourse power." Discourse power is the "national capability to influence global values, governance, and even day-to-day discussions on the world stage." One commentator notes that "the Chinese Communist Party's quest to dominate thought and narrative has always been central to its pursuit of power. To this end, every supreme party leader since Mao has reaffirmed the strategic and national security importance of the party's control of media, culture, and narrative." A large body of anecdotal evidence suggests that China's discourse power has grown substantially over the past ten or fifteen years. There is currently no agreed social science methodology for measuring either discourse power or the effects of discourse power. Even so, there are reasons to believe that the growth in Chinese discourse power may be correlated with another important trend in international affairs: the increasing autocratization of formerly democratic states.