Official Chinese media discourse frequently refers to globalization in order to manage ideological inconsistencies (the adoption of a market economy is conflicting with China’s overt belief in socialism) and to support China’s global image. Drawing on social—psychological studies on inconsistency justification and intergroup relations, this study offers a theoretical discussion of the above mentioned functions, with illuminative examples from relevant articles, published in China's People’s Daily between 1996 and 2006.