Apart from "China" and "India", "border" is the most common word used by Indian media in their reports on China as they stepped up coverage on the country, while the official media here registered a steady decline in its reportage on India, according to a survey.
The report by the Global Times Global Poll Centre showed the number of reports on China increased in six out of 10 surveyed Indian media outlets from 2010 to 2012 increasing Beijing's profile in the country.
The reports on India are decreasing yearly in seven Chinese media outlets, the results of the survey carried by the state run Global Times, which is officially hosting a get-together with Indian media professionals and strategic analysts, said.
Observers say that it is a disquieting trend in Chinese media, considering that almost all of it is official, the lack of coverage on India could impair the knowledge of Chinese people about the country and its development paradigm.
The survey was based on reports from 10 influential newspapers and news agencies from China and India over the last three years, the report said.
But at the same time, the survey said negative reporting on China is seen more frequently in Indian media than that of on India in Chinese media.
The survey regarded the reportage of Indian media on border disputes, Chinese military incursions and strategic issues as negative.
The survey also indicated that border disputes between the two countries have dominated Indian media's reporting on China.
It said that apart from "China" and "India," "border" is the most common word used in headlines of Indian media reports on China, appearing in the headlines of 17.8 per cent of all reports.
As many as 9.5 per cent of Indian media reports on China have a negative perspective, and mainly focus on the India-China border disputes and China's geopolitical issues, the survey said.
The survey report came amid continued Chinese army incursions into India, as Indian Ambassador to China S Jaishankar stressed that any disturbance at the border will have an adverse impact on the public perception which is vital for improvement of bilateral ties.
The survey also said positive reporting on China only accounts for 4.2 per cent in the Indian media.
