Conflict and Supremacy in Chinese Sports News Commentaries: A Case Study

The acquisition of Italy’s FC Internazionale by the Chinese company Suning, in June 2016, resonated widely in the Chinese press. Through the analysis of a corpus of news commentaries related to the news, this chapter presents a case study showing how a sport-related story has been used as an opportunity to promote a discourse of conflict and national supremacy over Europe. The analysis refers to the concept of the “Chinese dream”, a political keyword introduced by Xi Jinping during his first mandate which hints at a conflictual understanding of the relation between China and Europe, and at China’s aspiration to re-establish its dominant position in the world. The acquisition of European football clubs is part of Xi’s “football dream” to transform China into a football powerhouse, a plan that has gained a special role in Xi’s political agenda and has been portrayed as part of the “Chinese dream”.