Public Attitude and Opinion Leaders: Mapping Chinese Discussion of EU's Energy Role on Social Media

The EU and China are both pioneers in energy transition and are major energy consumers. However, we know little about the attitude of the Chinese public toward EU's energy role or EU-China energy cooperation. The paper contributes to the study of relationship between agenda-setting and public opinion in the context of Chinese social media. Using empirical data, it finds that energy cooperation, energy trading, energy politics, and energy technology&service are the four co-occurrence networks of Chinese public discussion on the topic. Yet the opinion leaders differ on these issues. While verified media accounts are key opinion leaders setting the agenda in EU energy politics and trade issues, in energy technology and service issues, verified individual accounts lead opinions. The study helps understand the role of online opinion leaders in EU-China energy relations and argues that key opinion leaders need to play more active roles in communicating the issues and guiding public discussions.