| Abstract [eng] |
In the last decade, the People's Republic of China, as a rising superpower, has emerged as one of the most important and influential actors in the international system, increasingly challenging the liberal world order, including the prevailing Human Rights (further in text - HR) regime. While historically China has always been a challenger of HR, scholars have noted an intensification of China’s stance in both the foreign and domestic arenas since Xi Jinping became the country’s leader in late 2012. Despite a growing body of literature on Chinese HR, little work has analysed the discourse of the White Papers that China has been publishing since 1991. This Master’s thesis seeks to help fill this gap by analysing the discourse in China’s White Papers on HR using framing theory. The results are then interpreted through the lens of norm contestation theory. The central research question of this thesis is: How does China frame HR in its White Papers, and how do these frames contribute to the contestation of HR norms? An analysis of the documents suggests that China’s diagnostic frame is based on narratives of unfairness and on positioning China as a developing country. This status forms the basis for a prognostic frame that highlights the importance of national conditions in the development of human rights. The emphasis on poverty allows China to sustain its status as a developing country, even as its power grows, and ultimately acts as an extension of the frame by raising the broader idea of a global fight against poverty. The prognostic frame develops an alternative vision of HR based on the principle of relativism. This frame is grounded in the importance of national conditions, culture, national constitution, and party leadership. In order to create broader resonance, increasing efforts are made to introduce flexibility into the frames by incorporating global initiatives such as UN reform, the idea of human rights diversity, the right to a healthy environment, and global health. In addition, Chinese model is increasingly being linked to the universal value of peace. This frame expansion reflects China’s growing power. Importantly, these frames are not merely rhetorical but act as interpretive tools that allow China to challenge HR norms — not by rejecting their validity outright, but by subtly transforming them through application and interpretation contestation. It is increasingly evident that, through these strategies, China is challenging not only organisational norms (such as the universality of HR) but also regulatory norms (such as international law, UN HR bodies). Both are adjacent to the fundamental HR norm and act as structural anchors, meaning that contesting them poses a serious threat to the norm’s stability. Although the principle of HR is not directly rejected, this form of contestation should not be underestimated — especially in a current global environment marked by democratic backsliding. By analysing China’s White Papers, this thesis provides a better understanding of how China uses language to frame and contest HR. For the liberal HR model and its norms to remain stable, it is essential to understand how alternative ideas are constructed and thus be better equipped to counter them. |
