Competing Perceptions of China’s Greater Bay Area Plan in Hong Kong and Macau’s Media: A Comparative Phraseological Analysis

The study conducts a comparative analysis to examine how China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) plan is perceived in Hong Kong and Macau’s media. Based on the methods of corpus-driven analysis of quantitative data and qualitative discourse analysis, this study provides valuable insights into competing media construction in implementing and evaluating China’s GBA plan in Hong Kong and Macau. Results demonstrate that Macau’s press attaches great importance to the in-depth cooperation and mutual development of the plan. In contrast, Hong Kong’s press holds a pessimistic view, worrying whether the city’s status and advantages would be threatened under the plan. The study further discusses the press freedom, social-political factors and national identity that influence competing media construction of the plan. Additionally, it explores the geopolitical implications of China’s cross-border integration plan.