Language as a tool for creating a positive Image of the state in the system of Interstate Relations (using the example of China's Global Security Initiative)

Radus Larisa Alexandrovna Senior Lecturer; Department of Far Eastern Languages; Prince Alexander Nevsky Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation 119361, Russia, Moscow, Bolshaya Ochakovskaya str., 12k1, sq. 117 yevgoloborod@gmail.com

Goloborodchenko Evgeniya Sergeevna student; Faculty of Translation and Translation Studies; Prince Alexander Nevsky Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation 141107, Russia, Moscow region, Shchelkovo, Nedelina str., 20, sq. 67 yevgoloborod@gmail.com

In the modern world, the image of the state and the methodology of its formation are becoming increasingly important in the development of interstate relations. Changes in the political situation and the balance of power are reflected in the texts of political discourse. The "Global Security Initiative" proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening of the Bao Asian Forum in April 2022 is illustrative in light of China's increasing role on the international agenda and is of interest for linguistic analytical research.

The object of our research is political discourse. A.P. Chudinov argues that the study of a political text is "primarily a study of the degree of influence on this text and on its perception by the addressee of various linguistic, cultural, social, economic, political, national and other factors" ^{[13, p. 41]}. The political text reflects the intentional content of the main strategic and tactical concepts of state governments. A.P. Chudinov in his monograph emphasizes that "the most important postulate of modern political linguistics is a discursive approach to the study of political texts, that is, the study of each specific text, taking into account the political situation in which it was created, taking into account its relationship with other texts, the objectives, political views and personal qualities of the author, the specifics of perception of this the text by various people, as well as the role that this text can play in the system of political texts and, more broadly, in the political life of the country" ^{[12, p. 12]}. In the content of the "Global Security Initiative" of the People's Republic of China, the basic provisions of the Chinese leadership's political vision of solutions to problems of the interstate order are formulated. The document clearly outlines China's intentions to strengthen its role in the international communication system and consolidate its status as an influential power. The purpose of the study is to identify linguistic tools that are used as a means of forming a positive image of China in the field of global security. Thus, the subject of the study is the image of China in the context of the representation of the "Global Security Initiative". Critical discourse analysis allows us to evaluate the linguistic means of the text used, the pragmatic purpose of which is not only to inform the world community explaining the political position of the Chinese government, but also to create a certain image of the country. The mass media, which retransmit a certain text product to the target audience, play a key role in shaping the image of the state. In this regard, the state political system essentially acts as a "customer" and "censor" of texts placed in the information field with a clear practical orientation.

China, which in recent decades, by implementing the reform of the socio-economic system, has ensured the stunning economic growth and well-being of the people to the world community, pays great attention to shaping the image of its country in the international arena. The external image of modern China, focused on the formation of a positive image, is reflected in party and political speeches and documents. The international character of the state's image is undoubtedly of great importance for the country's status prestige in the system of interstate relations. China purposefully creates its positive image by broadcasting the conceptual provisions of both domestic and foreign policy courses in public texts. The document and commentary under study set out the concept of global security, which, in the assessment of political scientists, is considered as a confident step by the leadership of the People's Republic of China in the integration of the country into the world community and in the idealization of the created image. The Initiative outlines the conceptual vision typical of Chinese society of "the future comprehensive promotion of the revival of the Chinese nation through the Chinese model of modernization" and the conceptual six key principles of global security.

The image of the state as a conceptual category is the subject of study of political science (A.I. Solovyov, V.V. Lapkin, N.A. Rozhkov), sociology (N.I. Alekseeva, E.S. Barazgova, Y.R. Vishnevsky, G.E. Zborovsky, G.B. Korableva, N.I. Lapin, V.I. Maslov, V.G. Podmarkov, E.P. Popova, A.I. Prigozhin, Yu.G. Semenov, S.A. Frolov, N.I. Shatalova, O.I. Shkaratan, V.A. Yadov), psychology (E.A. Petrova, E.B. Perelygina), cognitive linguistics (George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, Len Talmi, E.S. Kubryakova, N.D. Boldyrev, Z.D. Popova, I.A. Sterin, I.A. Sushnenkova, A.A. Zalevskaya) and other sciences. E.A.Galumov formulated the political content of the country's image as "a set of objective, interrelated characteristics of the state system formed in the process of the evolutionary development of statehood as a complex subsystem of the world order, the effectiveness of the interaction of the links of which determines the trends of socio-economic and other processes in the country" ^{[3, p. 371]}.

The fundamental factors of the existence of the country's image are the ethnocultural characteristics of the national group. I.S. Suvorova defines the image of the country as a "stereotyped idea of the state" ^{[9, p. 154]}, which takes into account objective characteristics due to its geographical and historical features and images formed by information technologies.

The image of its political leader and the political elite are integral components of the country's image. Political discourse thus acquires considerable interest from the standpoint of a systematic analytical study of the linguistic and pragmatic characteristics of the texts of the conceptual content of public policy. E. B. Perelygina suggests considering the image of the state as a "systemic corporate complex, based on the systemic organization of state structures and their interrelations, as well as the essential foundations of political activity" ^{[8, p. 23]}.

The term "image" can be considered as emotionally colored images and stereotypes rooted in the mass consciousness.

A.N. Chumikov and M.P. Bocharov define the concept of "image" as follows: "this is a declared (ideal) position, that is, one that a person or organization has planned and intends to promote (promote) to target groups" ^{[14, p. 133]}.

O.I. Kalinin emphasizes that "a political image is an emotionally colored image of a subject of the political system purposefully created through frequency reproduction, which has a high degree of informativeness and the ability to influence the masses" ^{[4, p. 80]}.

The linguistic specificity of image construction is studied in line with the direction of linguoimigelogy ^{[7, pp. 5-11]}, which emphasizes the role of language in the process of image modeling.

Linguistic means play a key role in texts, the pragmatic purpose of which is focused on creating the image of the country, and are a powerful tool that affects, among other things, the understanding of national culture, history and values. For example, carefully constructed and thought-out speech strategies, the use of specific terms and expressions associated with positive connotations, help to create a favorable image of the state.

Metaphors among all linguistic means, especially in Chinese, have the greatest influence on the formation of the country's image. Kalinin O.I. in the study of the problem of the relationship between the concepts of metaphoricity and speech influence, indicates "metaphoricity is the realization of the functional potential of metaphors of various types in the text and discourse, those specific functions that are associated with different forms and types of speech influence, that is, a specific characteristic of discourse, reflecting the realization in it of the functional potential of metaphors, manifested in metaphorical speech impact" ^{[6, p. 154]}. Metaphors help to convey complex concepts and ideas through vivid and memorable images, which makes the perception of information more emotionally intense and accessible. It should be noted that modern media and political discourses are characterized by the use of such linguistic means that would enhance the influencing and evaluative functions. O.I.Kalinin in his works emphasizes "the metaphoricity of official texts is an integral characteristic of public discourse in Chinese" ^{[10, p. 252]}.

N.D. Arutyunova considers a metaphor as "a trope or a mechanism of speech consisting in the use of a word denoting a certain class of objects, phenomena, etc., to characterize or name an object belonging to another class, or the name of another class of objects similar to this one in any respect" ^{[1, p. 296]}.

V.N. Telia defines metaphor as the most powerful means of forming new concepts, that is, reflecting in the linguistic form new knowledge about the world – empirical, theoretical or artistic development of reality ^{[11, p. 48]}.

Exploring the role of metaphor in political discourse, O.I.Kalinin notes that "one of the most effective and most accessible forms of cognitive-speech influence for research by proper linguistic methods is metaphor, which, as is known, is based on a cognitive rethinking of one conceptual area (sphere-goal) through the conceptual features of another area (sphere-source)" ^{[5, p. 471]}. The researchers note that associative-figurative connections of words, forming a special metaphorical ambiguity of the utterance and giving it expressiveness, are used to implement the communicative and pragmatic orientation of an individual, to convey their own emotional attitude to the phenomenon of reality, to evaluate it.

"Political discourse is an important channel for demonstrating the country's image. Xi Jinping uses a large number of metaphors to create a positive image of China." Shi Shu comes to this conclusion in his article "Analysis of metaphors in Chinese political discourse from the standpoint of cognitive theory (based on the material of the collection "Xi Jinping on Public Administration", part three)" ^{[15, p. 158]}.

Based on the functional component, N.D. Arutyunova identifies four types of metaphors: A nominative metaphor consists in replacing one descriptive meaning with another; a figurative metaphor is born as a result of the transition of an identifying meaning into a predicative one; a cognitive metaphor arises as a result of a shift in the compatibility of predicative words; a generalizing metaphor erases the boundaries in the lexical meaning of a word between logical orders ^{[2, p. 366]}.

The studied program text revealed the frequent use of visual means of language or tropes – "sailing in the same boat - assistance, complicity, collaboration", "peace is a ship", "the law of the jungle - the strongest survives", "lowering the temperature and extinguishing the fire - de-escalation of conflict" and others. Figurative metaphors prevail in the text under consideration, generalizing ones are also found. The general leitmotif of the document is the idea of making joint decisions on all global issues on the international agenda. China positions itself as the leader of peaceful initiatives aimed at creating conditions for development in all directions and for all States.

The metaphors used in the text are international in nature, which contributes to the realization of their main function – to be understandable and acceptable to an international audience. The internal texts of the PRC, as a rule, contain structures familiar to Chinese culture, such as chengyu, allusions and other culturally specific elements. While the texts aimed at the international arena are adapted in such a way that they can be understood by representatives of different cultures, which enhances their communicative effect and makes the message more universal.

In addition, the use of figurative metaphors in international documents allows China to communicate its political intentions more effectively, creating images understandable to a wide audience. This helps in forming a positive image of the country and contributes to a better perception of the proposed initiatives at the global level.

Let's look at some examples of metaphors in the material under study.

1. "习近平主席2014年在亚信上海峰会首次提出新安全观以来，赢得了国际社会普遍认同和广泛支持，已经成为世界消弭安全赤字、破解安全难题的"金钥匙"" (Since, as President XI Jinping first proposed a new security concept at the Shanghai CICA summit in 2014, it has won wide acclaim and support from the international community and the world became "Golden key" to eliminate security flaws and security issues.)

The metaphor "金金" implies that the new concept of security is a valuable and effective tool that can "open the door" to solving complex problems such as security shortages and global conflicts. The golden key is associated with something valuable, rare and powerful, capable of opening any locks, which symbolizes the possibility of solving even the most complex and confusing problems.

The use of the "Jin钥匙" metaphor helps to create a positive and influential image of China in the international arena. This creates the impression that China has unique and effective solutions to global problems, which strengthens its status as a key player in international politics. In addition, it underlines China's leadership in the field of security and its willingness to cooperate with other countries to achieve global stability.

The metaphor "金金" (golden key) in the context of the proposed passage refers to the type of figurative metaphor. In this case, it is used to create a vivid and memorable image of China's new security concept presented by Xi Jinping. This image helps to perceive an abstract concept (a new concept of security) through a concrete and well-understood idea of the golden key as a tool capable of opening locked doors.

2. "各国需要同舟共济、团结协作，构建人类安全共同体，携手建设一个远离恐惧、普遍安全的世界。" (All countries need to act in the same direction, to unite and cooperate to build a community of human security and work together to build a world free from fear and provide for security for everyone.)

"同舟共济" (letters. sailing in the same boat) metaphorically represents a common situation or problem that people face. In this context, the phrase refers to the need for solidarity and cooperation between different countries in order to achieve a common goal – to create a world free from threats and ensure security for all people.

China calls for joining efforts to create a security society for all, emphasizing the importance of building a global community free from fear and ensuring common security. This approach is in line with China's strategy in world affairs, which is expressed through active participation in international organizations and initiatives aimed at cooperation and conflict resolution.

China positions itself as a State ready to play an active role in creating a peaceful and secure world for all. This underscores the responsibility and commitment to strengthening international stability, which makes China a visible participant in the global arena.

In this case, "同舟共济" (to sail in the same boat) is used to identify a common situation or problem that people face, and turns into a predicative meaning, implying the need for joint action and cooperation to overcome these problems.

Thus, the expression "同舟共济" best corresponds to a figurative metaphor according to the classification of N.D. Arutyunova.

3. "习近平主席指出，世界各国乘坐在一条命运与共的大船上，要穿越惊涛骇浪、驶向光明未来，必须同舟共济，企图把谁扔下大海都是不可接受的。" (The President of China, XI Jinping noted that all countries in the world are on the ship with a common destiny, if they want to overcome the dangerous events and move towards a bright future, they must work together by combining their efforts, rather than trying to throw someone overboard.)

There is another metaphor in this passage. "大船" metaphorically describes the world community or the international community as a single entity that jointly copes with challenges and moves forward through difficulties and obstacles. The use of this metaphor helps to strengthen the image of China as a country adhering to the principles of global cooperation and solidarity. This metaphor emphasizes the importance of acting together and supporting international relations based on mutual respect and mutual understanding. In general, such images and metaphors contribute to the formation of a positive image of China in the international arena, emphasizing its role as a country striving for global stability and prosperity.

In this case, a ship with a common destiny symbolizes unity and common efforts to overcome difficulties and achieve a common future. Thus, the metaphor "大船" corresponds to the definition of a "figurative metaphor", since a comparative image is used here to convey the idea of unity and cooperation between countries.

"惊涛骇浪" (letters. terrible waves and furious waves) is a metaphor. In the context of this phrase, "惊涛骇浪" is used to figuratively describe the difficulties and challenges faced by countries. The use of the metaphor "惊涛骇浪" in combination with the verb "overcome" forms the image of China as an open and responsible country, ready to support other countries and make compromises to achieve common goals and able to overcome difficulties despite the complexity and unpredictability of the situation.

In the metaphor "惊涛骇浪", a natural phenomenon (terrible waves and furious waves) is used to describe the difficulties and challenges faced by countries. Such a comparison creates a vivid and understandable image that helps to better understand the nature of these difficulties and challenges. This makes the phrase a vivid example of a figurative metaphor, since it uses a concrete and visual comparison to convey an abstract idea.

4. "人类历史一再证明，没有和平，发展就是无源之水；没有安全，繁荣就是无本之木。" (The history of mankind has repeatedly shown that development without peace, is the water without a source, unsafe; no security, no prosperity (a tree without roots).

The metaphor "无源之水" means that development without peace is like a stream of water without a source, endless and fruitless. The metaphor "无本本" emphasizes that without security, prosperity has no roots and foundations, like a tree without roots. Both metaphors express the idea that without security, any efforts to achieve prosperity can be undermined and fragile.

Metaphors serve to emphasize the importance of peace and security for successful development and prosperity. They help to create an imaginative picture showing that peace and security are fundamental elements for ensuring the sustainable and long-term development of mankind. The statement illustrates the conceptual foundations of China's foreign policy, in particular, its desire for global security and stability. China stands for peaceful development and conflict resolution based on the principles of cooperation, forming the image of a responsible and influential global player ready to actively participate in solving global problems and contribute to peace and stability. China strives to ensure that its role in the global community is perceived as strategically important and constructive, contributing to common well-being and development.

Both metaphors are figurative, as they use concrete, visual images to convey abstract ideas about the importance of peace for development and security for prosperity.

5. "在百年变局与世纪疫情交织叠加、战火阴云笼罩的今天，新安全观的意义更加凸显，将进一步推动铸剑为犁。" (In the modern world, covered a century of change and epidemic situation, the threat of military conflict, the importance of the new concept of security becomes even more obvious that he will continue to contribute to the transformation of swords to plowshares).

In this fragment, the metaphor "铸剑为犁" (to forge swords into plowshares) emphasizes the importance of turning military conflicts into peace and cooperation. The sword is traditionally associated with war and violence, and the plow symbolizes agriculture and production. Thus, "铸剑为犁" indicates a change in priorities from combat and military aspects to peaceful ones, a reorientation of forces and resources from military goals to peaceful and humanitarian efforts.

In this context, China's political and military Confucian philosophy is reflected, which represents the pursuit of peaceful development, focusing on cooperation instead of confrontation and building international relations based on mutually beneficial agreements. China promotes the idea of peaceful coexistence and cooperation within the international community, and also supports the concept of security, which includes solving global problems through dialogue and cooperation, rather than military force, forming the image of China as a country striving for peace and cooperation, instead of military aggression or confrontation.

The metaphor "铸剑为犁" in this context is cognitive. "Swords" and "plowshares" from different spheres (military and agricultural) combine to create a new meaning reflecting the change in priorities from war to peace and cooperation. The sword, usually associated with war and violence, is now combined with the process of forging into a plow, symbolizing peaceful farming and production. This change in compatibility and reinterpretation of traditional meanings of words create a new cognitive context.

6. "历史反复告诫我们，唯我独尊、以强凌弱是动荡之因，丛林法则、强权逻辑是战乱之源。" (History has repeatedly warned us that the superiority and bullying the weak by the strong are the causes of the riots, and the law of the jungle and usurpation are the causes of wars.)

In this context, the "law of the jungle" metaphor is used to figuratively describe a certain type of political behavior. In the jungle, animals fight for survival and dominance, applying the principle of "the strongest survives". Thus, the metaphor "丛林林" in political rhetoric means harsh, aggressive methods used to achieve power or establish dominance.

Through such metaphors, China presents itself as a country defending its interests and rights in the international arena, based on the principles of equality and respect. The metaphor is also intended to strengthen the country's image as a sovereign and responsible participant in the world community, preferring peaceful conflict resolution through negotiation, respect for the sovereignty of other countries and cooperation based on mutual benefit.

The metaphor "丛林林" creates a vivid image that helps to better understand the nature of aggressive and dominant political behavior. This makes it a prime example of a figurative metaphor, since it uses a concrete and visual comparison to convey an abstract idea.

7. "国际社会应旗帜鲜明支持一切有利于和平解决危机的努力，反对任何势力借机煽风拱火、阻挠破坏和谈。" (The international community should unconditionally support all efforts that promote the peaceful resolution of the crisis and to deal with any force, which uses the opportunity to fan the flames, hinder and sabotage the peace talks.)

In this context, "旗帜鲜明" (bright banners) is a metaphor that figuratively means certain ideas, a clear position. It means that the international community must openly and clearly support all efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

China's policy is aimed at supporting the peaceful resolution of conflicts and focuses the attention of the international community on dialogue and cooperation, which also contributes to the formation of China's image as a country that attaches great importance to its principles and beliefs, striving for peace, stability and dialogue in the international arena.

The metaphor is figurative because it uses a specific and understandable image (bright banners) to convey an abstract idea (a definite and open position of the international community).

8. "滥用单边制裁和 "长臂管辖" 不但解决不了问题，反而会制造更多困难和复杂因素。" (Abuse of unilateral sanctions and "long arm jurisdiction" is not only not solve the problem, but will create more difficulties and complex factors.)

In this context, "long arm jurisdiction" is used metaphorically to denote attempts by one country to expand its influence beyond its territory or jurisdiction. This does not necessarily mean the literal use of long arms to govern, but rather indicates a desire to interfere in the internal politics of other States or control events in remote regions of the world.

In the context of this statement, China categorically does not accept the use of the "long arms" policy to expand influence beyond its territory. This allows us to build up the image of China as a supporter of peaceful methods of resolving international disputes and conflicts. China, while supporting the idea of dialogue and consultations to resolve differences, presents itself as a country that prefers the settlement of disputes through cooperation and coordination, rather than through threats or unilateral actions.

This is an example of a generalizing metaphor, as it blurs the boundaries in the lexical meaning of the word, allowing you to perceive the "long arm" as a symbol of extended control.

9. "摒弃零和、、、时时。。" (Abandon outdated concepts of zero-sum game and confrontation).

"零和和" (zero-sum game) is used here as a metaphor to describe a strategy in which one side wins at the expense of the other, implying a zero amount. In this context, China calls for abandoning such an approach to international relations, which means abandoning a strategy in which one country can only benefit by defeating another. Instead, he advocates cooperation and alignment of interests to achieve common benefit.

This metaphorical expression reinforces the image of China as a country striving for global stability and a just international order. It can also help alleviate other countries' concerns about China's growing influence and establish more trusting relationships with other states.

This is an example of a figurative metaphor, since the term "zero-sum game" is transferred to a new context of international relations, indicating the need to abandon a strategy where one side's gain means loss for the other, and switch to a strategy of cooperation to achieve common benefit.

10. "和平赤字、发展赤字、安全赤字、治理赤字加重，世界又一次站在历史的十字路口。" (The world again stands at the crossroads of history, as the deficit in peace, development, security and governance compounded.)

The phrase "the crossroads of history" is a metaphor used to refer to a critical or turning point in history, when the future can develop according to different scenarios, just as when crossing roads, the direction of movement is chosen.

The metaphor creates an image of China as a state that has power and influence, capable of making important global decisions and determining the direction of world events.

The metaphor "the crossroads of history" is generalizing because it combines different logical orders — physical space and historical time — and creates a generalized meaning of a critical or turning point in history, when the future can develop according to different scenarios.

11. "我们倡导各国践行共商共建共享的全球治理观，共同应对地区争端和恐怖主义、气候变化、网络安全、生物安全等全球性问题，多管齐下、综合施策。" (We advocate that all countries adhered to the concept of global governance based on common and shared responsibility, and worked together to solve regional disputes and global problems such as terrorism, climate change, cyber security and bio safety, using a multifaceted and integrated approach.)

The expression "a lot of pipes" uses a metaphor to figuratively show that numerous and diverse methods and strategies must be applied to solve complex security problems. This highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to security, which includes various tools and tools.

The metaphor underscores the importance for China of adopting an integrated and multifaceted approach to solving global security problems. This reflects the image of China as a country ready to actively participate in international cooperation and solve global problems. The use of this metaphor illustrates that China does not seek to dominate or dictate its policies, but instead prefers to cooperate with other countries and use a variety of strategies and methods to achieve common security goals. This may highlight China's image as a country ready for dialogue and cooperation with the global community to address complex international issues, including traditional and new security challenges such as terrorism, climate change and cybersecurity.

The image of "many pipes" symbolizes the diversity and multiplicity of approaches to solving security problems. Thus, it is fashionable to consider this phrase as a figurative metaphor.

12. "Let the fire of peace be passed down from generation to generation, let the ringing of peaceful bells sound all over the world."

"The statement uses a metaphor comparing the spread of the idea of a global world like the sound of a bell. The sound of the bell is associated with the declaration of peace and security, and here it symbolizes the idea of spreading peace and security around the world, like the sound of a bell that is heard everywhere.

This metaphor is figurative. It is used to associate the dissemination of the idea of global peace with the sounds of a bell. In the context of the statement, the sound of the bell is associated with the declaration of peace and security, which symbolizes the idea of spreading peace and security throughout the world, just as the sound of the bell is heard everywhere.

Thus, the study of linguistic means in the political text under study demonstrates the frequent use of metaphors that are international in nature and have a specific political goal of forming a positive image of the PRC. A promising direction for further research on the topic may be the study of the metaphoricity of discourse, which has a certain metaphorization, or the discursivity of metaphor, which is considered as a communicative element of metaphorical transfer in a certain discourse.

The Global Security Initiative is a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond China's domestic interests, which involves active cooperation with other States and international organizations to overcome global threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks, nuclear proliferation, transnational crime and environmental crises.

The key aspects of the initiative are cooperation, dialogue, and information exchange between countries to ensure a peaceful and stable international environment. In addition, China is striving to create a fair and more equitable global security system that takes into account the interests of all participants in the international community. As part of this initiative, China is ready to provide its resources, expertise and experience to support efforts to ensure global security and stability.

It is assumed that the initiative will contribute to the formation of a more stable and transparent world order based on the principles of justice, mutually beneficial cooperation and mutual respect for the sovereignty of States. It is designed to ensure common security in an increasingly complex and dynamic global environment, where global challenges such as terrorism, cyber threats, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction require joint efforts to address them.

In addition, China focuses on the need to resolve regional conflicts and maintain peaceful diplomatic solutions based on the principles of international law. The initiative aims to create a more stable and predictable world order that promotes the development and prosperity of all States.

Thus, the Global Security Initiative is not only designed to ensure security and stability within China, but also to strengthen cooperation and trust between various states on a global scale. The strategic concepts of the Chinese political leadership presented in the Global Security Initiative are aimed at creating a positive image of the PRC in the international arena. The metaphorization of the text is aimed at creating an image of China as a country striving for global leadership and cooperation. The Global Security Initiative emphasizes the importance of China's participation in international efforts to ensure peace, security and development. In the text, China is represented as an active participant in world politics, capable of shaping global initiatives.