Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 12, 2023

 

The Generation of “Discursive Potential Energy” and the Shaping of International Discourse

(Abstract)

 

Chen Zheng

 

The shaping of discourse in international politics tends to involve debates among multiple actors. In such debates, actors aiming to promote the desired changes in mainstream international discourse should exploit the persuasive and coercive effects of discourse to generate “discursive potential energy.” They should systematically assess and creatively accommodate, utilize, and transform a political context that is made up of linkages among various discourses, social relations connecting different actors, and conditions of relevant platforms and mechanisms. In the key area of human rights, against the backdrop of heightened strategic competition, China has developed innovative discourses based on “the right to development” and “mutually beneficial cooperation” to claim the moral high ground; has won support from developing countries; and has leveraged favorable authoritative platforms such as the United Nations Human Rights Council to crack down on Western obstruction and insert concepts like “a human community with a shared future” into the discourse on international human rights. This fully demonstrates the key role of “discursive potential energy” in shaping international discourse.