A corpus-based analysis on Poland’s perception of the belt and road initiative

This paper applies content analysis on Poland’s official perception to the BRI within the context of the U.S.-China competition. By constructing a corpus of Polish government documents, parliamentary records, and media statements from 2015 to 2024, the research integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, including content analysis, word frequency analysis, and cognitive frame analysis, using NVivo software. The results show a predominantly optimistic perception among Poland toward the BRI that overestimate the benefits and underestimating the risks, reflecting a selective perception and cognitive bias. However, Poland’s geopolitical concerns have increased, influenced by U.S.-China rivalry and regional security dynamics. This critical study sheds light on how U.S.-China competition affects the foreign policies of other geopolitical players.