Modern Social Science Research

This study aims to systematically explore the cross-cultural communication practices of CGTN Spanish Channel on Weibo, focusing on deconstructing its core mechanisms of “how to say” and “who to say” in the Spanish-speaking world. By examining the category adjustment of topic frames and the visibility structure of narrative protagonists, this study reveals the discourse path by which mainstream media dissolves cultural discounts and reshapes the multilateral interactive narrative of major powers, thus providing empirical support and theoretical reference for improving the effectiveness of my country’s external communication. In terms of methodology, this study introduces cultural discount theory, online agenda-setting theory, and framing theory, employing quantitative content analysis. The research sample consists of 1271 hashtags with “#” and their corresponding blog posts published by CGTN Spanish Channel’s official overseas social media accounts. The two dimensions of “agenda framing” and “narrative subject (news protagonist)” were manually coded and statistically analyzed. The entire dataset was structurally deconstructed and empirically tested from the perspective of the dissemination source. The study concludes that, at the agenda-setting level, the channel has constructed a non-confrontational framework that is both “soft and hard,” and “oriented towards the common values of all humanity.” The low-cultural-discount agenda forms a stable, flexible narrative foundation, effectively mitigating the resistance to understanding caused by cultural differences. Simultaneously, through the integrated expression of “comprehensive” agendas and the embedding of political content into global public agendas such as “nature, society, and environment,” it has achieved a subtle transformation and breakthrough in the dissemination of grand narratives. At the narrative subject level, a structural pattern of “self-centeredness with mutual corroboration from others” has been formed, with the “Chinese subject” constituting the core discourse fulcrum. “Inter-subjects from both China and abroad” and “external subjects involving China” jointly supplement narrative diversity, activating the “other-cited mechanism” and enhancing the credibility and persuasiveness of the disseminated content.

CGTN Spanish Channel; Intercultural communication; Cultural discount; Agenda-setting; Framing theory