The Role of New Media in Shaping Public Perception of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): A Comparative Analysis of Media Framing in Indo-Pakistani Contexts

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which was initiated by China in 2013, BRI was designed to increase the connectivity of the global trade with the help of the large-scale infrastructure development projects in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Being one of the most ambitious international development strategies, the public perception of the BRI is essential in its success, and the perception of it is influenced by the media, and particularly the new media platforms. The paper examines the relationship between the BRI and how the same is framed by the new media in India and Pakistan and how these representations have influenced the opinion of the people in the Indo-Pakistani world. Although India and Pakistan are geographically close to each other, their media represents the BRI in strikingly different perspectives, depending on the historical, political and economic interests of each state. The study fills a knowledge gap in the literature by studying the influence of new media on the perception of the BRI in the two countries, in the differences between the security interests that India and Pakistan are placing in the new media. The research questions are aimed at identifying the way Indian and Pakistani media present the BRI issues, and whether the new media has anything to do with these impressions. The research design was a qualitative comparative study, and content analysis and framing analysis were utilized to analyse the contents of media by the digital news sources, blogs, and social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) between the years of 2023 and 2025. The results of the analysis showed that the BRI was mostly presented as a security threat by the Indian media and as the source of economic benefits by the Pakistani media, especially CPEC. These frames were stronger through the new media, and the Indian social media enhanced the security concerns, whereas the Pakistani social media advanced economic growth. These conclusions can be relevant to the policymakers, media professionals, as well as scholars of international relations by providing information on the way media framing can affect the popular opinion and bilateral relations in South Asia. These dynamics are important to understand to have more informed and balanced debate on global programs such as the BRI.