Chinese Journal of European Studies

This article seeks to compare the different connotations of ‘Global Britain’ constructed respectively by the UK government, opposition parties, think thanks and media. With the help of discourse analysis, this article shows that the UK government tends to construct ‘Global Britain’ as an active global player, a promoter of human rights, a defender of the rules-based international order, and a champion for global free trade, who possesses sufficient resources that enable it to play such a global role. The opposition parities tend to construct ‘Global Britain’ as a global conflict resolutioner and human rights fighter. The think tanks tend to construct ‘Global Britain’ as a champion for democratic and human rights values, a global development leader, a strategy deviser, and a government reformer that can restructure the government to coordinate different agencies in realizing this grand objective. The media tend to construct ‘Global Britain’ as an empty slogan and an unrealistic fantasy that is impossible to materialize.