CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL URDU SERVICE AS A SOFT POWER INSTRUMENT: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF PROGRAMMING STRATEGIES AND BILATERAL NARRATIVES (2022–2025)
Keywords:
Agenda setting, China Radio International, content Analysis, CPEC, Cultural Diplomacy, International Broadcasting, Pakistan-China relations, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, Urdu ServiceAbstract
This study reviews China Radio International (CRI) Urdu Service as an instrument of China's soft power strategy which targets Urdu-speaking audience in Pakistan. The research is based on a systematic content analysis of 60 radio programs broadcast between March 2022 and December 2025, the research identifies the dominant thematic categories, narrative patterns, and communication strategies adopted by Urdu service. Programs were coded across five content categories: cultural and social programming (35%), news and current affairs (30%), development and economic cooperation (20%), educational and language learning (10%), and music and entertainment (5%). A Chi-Square test of association (χ²(4) = 10.76, p = 0.029) and a one-way ANOVA (F(1,122) = 7.68, p = 0.008) confirm statistically significant differences in thematic emphasis between CRI Urdu Service and the FM 98 Dosti Channel, the companion bilateral FM station. Based in Agenda Setting Theory and Nye's (2004) soft power framework, the findings demonstrate that CRI Urdu Service operates as a deliberate public diplomacy platform, prioritizing cultural attraction, development narratives, and positive bilateral framing to shape Pakistani public perceptions of China. The study contributes original empirical evidence to the literature on Chinese international broadcasting and adds a South Asian case to the growing scholarship on media-driven soft power.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Karim Ahmed , Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shahzad (Author)
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