Name: Dmitry Strovsky, Journalism Professor, Ural Federal University, Russia

Title: Challenges in Coverage ofRussian-Chinese Relationship: Focusing on Russian Media Experience

Abstract

The evolution of the Russian-Chinese relationship is a complicated phenomenon. On the one hand, this relationship is characterized by the complex development integrating different desires and intentions in both countries. On the other hand, the above relationship features a significant number of difficulties and contradictions.

The Russian media often refer to the topic of China, creating a strong sense that it is consistently covered. Along with it, critical stories about China emerge in the Russian media not on a regular basis. It happens due to the development of the modern

policy of Russia toward China, which is portrayed by Russian officials as a strategic partner in different fields of politics and economy.

One of the most notable problems for contemporary mass information in Russia is a lack of its depth and thoroughness and therefore to clearly understand what stands behind the facts is often impossible. For example, the media willingly respond to the official meetings in the two countries, while offering the audience detailed reports. In the meantime, almost no reports suggest information on the implementation of previously signed agreements and other official documents. Besides, the talks in these cases are often largely oriented. Yet, the issue of how the documents are adjusted not only to the entire country but to average people living in different Russian regions often remains unclear.

It is obvious that currently Russians and Chinese people not always clearly understand each other. The attitude of the Russians toward its southern neighbor very often looks problematic and sometimes even far from being positive. To be honest, mass consciousness of many millions of Russians is absorbed by negatively painted stereotypes toward China and its people. Therefore the most important task for the information strategy of the Russian media is defined by shaping such trends that could have levelled and then distorted these stereotypes.

Russian people still have very little information about the achievement of China in various fields of science and culture. The media, both federal and regional, rarely supply interviews with people of this country who have achieved significant results in various areas of social and professional activities.

Another situation that is not much better is getting media coverage of issues related to the development of modern Chinese economy and business. Today the Russian audience is interested in the situation in China not only at the macroeconomic level (of which one can learn not only from media but also from many other sources), but primarily about the daily life of Chinese entrepreneurs. However, such information is still lacking.

Inconsistent disclosure in the Russian mass media of the topic of China is determined by the fact that the Russian political elite still has not elaborated a clear strategy of Russian-Chinese relationship.

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