China’s Rise Through Western Eyes: Evaluating Representations of China’s Rise in the Context of US Foreign Policy during the ‘Old and New Cold War’

The dominant Western-centric discourse on China’s rise in Sino-American relations is perceived as either a threat to be contained or a non-threat needing integration into an American-led international system. Yet while China is seen as a rival, there remains hope it could become a responsible stakeholder. I argue that the core of Sino-American rivalry comes from neocolonial conquest and desire, mirrored in colonial discourses surrounding China’s rise that inadvertently reinforces American hegemonic power by reducing China's ascent to an objectified Other. My aim is to uncover how language shapes Sino-American imperial encounters within asymmetrical power structures, revealing the racialised and orientalised Othering of discourses on China’ rise within the context of both the Old Cold War and the New Cold War narratives. Initially seen as flattering, China’s mimicry of United States has now become a source of fear and repulsion. Using a postcolonial approach to Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA), I explore how colonial narratives on China’s rise justify and legitimize American foreign policies of engagement and containment. My analysis highlights the intricacies of colonial legacies and racialised discourses shape Sino-American imperial encounters and the ways American Exceptionalism and Orientalism underpin foreign policy outcomes.