The ideograph of Territorial Sovereignty: Framing of China's Belt and Road Initiative by the Times of India

This study examines the use of the ideograph territorial sovereignty by the Times of India (TOI; U.S./New Delhi editions) in its reports on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Using McGee's (1980) notion of ideograph and Entman's (1993) framing theory, it uncovers a discursive strategy used by elite media for swaying public opinion regarding international and domestic information flow when promoting its preferred "Indian" understanding of the BRI. This study reviews historical uses of the ideograph territorial sovereignty to establish an analysis of the TOI's use of it. Then, following framing theory and a synchronic structure, I explore the ideograph in 40 collected TOI reports by contextualizing relationships supporting and surrounding it.