ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how yellow peril and red menace memory frames affect new conceptualizations of military conflict in U.S.-Sino relations. It accomplishes this by analyzing U.S. news coverage and political discourse surrounding the controversy that erupted when cyberattacks targeting American businesses and the U.S. military were traced to overseas Chinese “cyber warriors.” I argue that U.S. media outlets and political leaders were divided between characterizing the attacks as a new Cold War and dismissing such claims as hyperbole. War imagery and Cold War language infused a portion of news articles and political leaders’ statements. Yet discourse concerning the cyber controversy was overwhelmingly more balanced in scope and tone than the rhetoric examined in the previous chapters. Instead of urging a more aggressive approach to handling U.S.-Sino relations, journalists and politicians stressed the need for dialogue, negotiation, and compromise. I explain how this discourse provides a model for crafting more nuanced discursive representations of China and U.S.-Sino relations.
