An "Effect-Oriented" Mechanism for the International Dissemination of China’s Human Rights Discourse

YAO Lu & LIANG Tian'ai

Abstract: The current international dissemination of China’s human rights discourse predominantly adopts a “sender-oriented” model, emphasizing the output of human rights discourse by transmitters while overlooking strategy adjustments based on audience feedback. To some extent, the current approach has resulted in characteristics such as strong practical implementation but weak discourse, limited theoretical foundation, and insufficient recognition in China’s international human rights communication. Consequently, while China has achieved remarkable progress in its human rights endeavors, human rights issues remain a critical area of stigmatization by some Western countries. An “effect-oriented” mechanism for the international dissemination of China’s human rights discourse, therefore, aims to address this challenge by re-centering the audience as active participants in the communication process. By emphasizing the dual nature of human rights’ international communication, this approach leverages the reflexive monitoring of initial transmitters throughout the dissemination process to finally construct a dynamic human rights discourse framework responsive to different time and space contexts. This mechanism directly confronts the diverse backgrounds of global audiences and the resulting varied interpretations of China’s human rights discourse. It advocates for dynamic evaluation of global dissemination outcomes based on audience feedback and the timely adaptation of communication strategies according to context. By doing so, it seeks to effectively advance China’s human rights communication efforts and enhance dissemination efficiency on the global scale.

Keywords: human rights · China’s human rights discourse system · international dissemination · effect-oriented