1、 Introduction

Explored the narrative analysis value of leaders' speeches, pointing out that they not only reflect personal style, but are also closely related to international and domestic politics. Taking the speech of Mahathir, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, at the "the Belt and Road" Forum as an example, this paper analyzes how he expressed his support for the "the Belt and Road" initiative through words, and also implied conditions in his words to safeguard national interests. The article also reviews the current research status of leader speeches in academia, points out the rare application of the Lapov model in such analysis, and proposes that this article will fill this research gap.

2、 Lapov narrative model

The Lapov narrative model is an important tool for analyzing personal experience narratives, which includes six elements: summary, direction, progression, evaluation, ending, and epilogue. This model emphasizes that the narrator constructs the story and interprets its meaning through these elements. Although primarily used for personal narrative analysis, it is equally applicable to leader speeches as they have a clear structure and complete framework. This paper uses the Lapov model to analyze the English speech of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir at the the Belt and Road Forum, explore its discourse and emotional construction, and reveal the political intention behind it.

3、 Narrative analysis of the speech delivered by Mahathir, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, at the second the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

Through the Lapov model, this paper makes a narrative analysis of the speech delivered by Mahathir, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, at the second "the Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum. Mahathir introduced the historical origin and significance of the "the Belt and Road" through metaphor in the summary of his speech, ingeniously constructed the narrative perspective, and determined the identity of the narrator. In the pointing section, he traced the development process of the ancient Silk Road, emphasized Malaysia's historical position as a crossroads of maritime transportation, and laid a positive tone for the subsequent narrative. The progress part is the core of the speech. Mahathir narrated in chronological order, first affirming the positive impact of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, then raising the issue of environmental pollution and maintenance costs caused by increased trade, and expressing concern about the potential risks of the "the Belt and Road" project. He proposed two major solutions: increasing investment in technology and strengthening the construction of land channels, implying a positive signal for the resumption of construction of the China Malaysia East Railway project. In the evaluation part, Mahathir made a positive evaluation of the "the Belt and Road" initiative from the perspective of leaders, believing that it will bring landlocked countries in Central Asia closer to the sea, increase wealth and reduce poverty. On the whole, Mahathir's speech skillfully used the six elements of Lapov's narrative model. Through the narrative method of lyrical historical retrospection, time axis switching, first suppression and then promotion, and the use of composite narrative subjects, it effectively conveyed the Malaysian government's support attitude to the "the Belt and Road" initiative and positive expectations for cooperation projects, and also reflected its diplomatic strategy of safeguarding national interests and promoting regional cooperation.

4、 Conclusion

Using the six element analysis model of Lapov's classic narrative style, this paper makes a narrative analysis of the speech delivered by Mahathir, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, at the second the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Analysis shows that Mahathir constructed a logical and rational narrative structure in his speech through narrative techniques such as the connection between history and reality, subject identity limitation, timeline switching, problem listing and solution suggestions, positive evaluation and position clarification, emotional expression and political demands, as well as expectations for cooperation results. At the same time, the analysis emphasizes the need to consider the national reality at the time of the speech, as well as the leader's control over the national situation and specific political functions when conducting narrative analysis of the leader's speech. Mahathir's speech not only naturalized the positive change of attitude towards the "the Belt and Road" cooperation project, but also proposed implicit conditions in the discourse construction to safeguard national interests. The Lapov narrative model demonstrates high applicability in analyzing leaders' speeches, helping to clarify analytical ideas, explore deeper meanings, and grasp the fundamental purpose of leaders' speeches.