Changes in the International Perception of China during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Abstract

China, as a major power, plays a significant role in the international environment, and its actions influence our world on many levels. Beyond the pandemic, Covid–19 has caused an economic recession that foreshadows a more divided, less interdependent world. Using the SentiOne social media monitoring platform, social media and other online content can be researched by using keywords – or by excluding certain keywords to find more relevant content – I analysed the data obtained from the search using SentiOne’s online built-in analytics module. SentiOne uses a proprietary sentiment analysis algorithm based on PANAS to measure the emotional content in each piece of media content, based on whether a message is positive, negative or neutral, and summarizes this on a traditional three-point scale. I have also introduced the new Cold War issue, characterising the opposing US-led NATO-Quad-AUKUS alliance, along with the opposing China-led Russia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation alliance. As cyberspace as a virtual world becomes increasingly embedded in our everyday lives and its impact on our lives grows, it is important to examine the content that is published there. By introducing the concepts of information disorder and post-truth, and the phenomenon of infodemic, I also draw attention to another aspect of the pandemic that can be linked to cyberspace. I have described the Chinese humanitarian aid system and the defining points of the pandemic. I have schematically presented the data mining method. In my thesis, by analyzing the content of social media and other websites, I proved my hypothesis: examining the content of English-language social media and other online platforms in the AUKUS and Quad countries, the perception of the Chinese Communist Party deteriorated during the pandemic. My hypothesis was disproved: in Western social media and online platforms, Chinese humanitarian aid played a significant opinion-shaping role during the epidemic. The international perception of China’s handling of the epidemic has turned positive after an initial negative period.