This book investigates the strategic mechanisms by which the Chinese state utilizes media campaigns to influence international perception and manage interstate disputes. Frances Yaping Wang, a scholar of international relations, constructs a theoretical framework known as the (mis)alignment theory to explain how state-controlled media is deployed to either mobilize public sentiment or pacify domestic and international audiences. By analyzing specific historical and contemporary case studies, the author demonstrates how media serves as a calculated instrument of foreign policy rather than merely a tool for domestic propaganda.

Scholars in the field of Chinese foreign policy identify this work as a rigorous examination of the intersection between state communication and international conflict. Experts frequently highlight the book's systematic approach to textual analysis as a valuable contribution to the study of autocratic media strategies.