Meaning Behind the 2018 PRC Constitution Amendments – the Application of Political Discourse Analysis to the "New Era" Narratives of Xi Jinping

Although opinions vary as to the degree of assertiveness of China’s leadership under the Xi Jinping rule in comparison to Hu Jintao, the fact that China under Xi has set out on a new, more persuasive discursive path regarding its historical role and position global futures has been confirmed both by analysts inside and outside of the PRC – particularly after the 2018 PRC Constitution Amendment, which introduced “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era”, among other additions. This paper serves the purpose of explaining the meaning of the official discursive strategies behind the “New Era” (新时代) concept as presented by Xi Jinping during his Report at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China by exam-ining the grand narratives that surround it, ultimately contributing to the research of the logic behind Xi Jinping’s agenda vis-a-vis China’s desired position. A total of three overarching New Era narratives have been established: the mission narrative, the international influence narrative, and the party governance narrative. The paper argues that the main task of all three narratives is to provide arguments in support of Xi Jinping’s ideological innovation. Methodologically, the paper draws on the Political Discourse Analysis theory.