Painting the dragon: China’s image in Polish media during the Covid-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020

Abstract

The study aims to analyze China’s image in Polish media during the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. To explore the topic, I examine China-related articles from the five most popular Polish online media outlets – GazetaPrawna.pl, Onet.pl, Rp.pl, Wp.pl and Wyborcza.pl. I analyze three main themes crafting the image: the coronavirus pandemic, China’s internal affairs, and foreign policy. The study argues that the image of China is ambiguous, but the media portrays the country relatively negatively. The number of words with negative emotional connotations in China-related articles prevails over positive ones. Polish media criticize China’s response to the pandemic, different aspects of domestic policy, state of human rights, and assertive foreign policy. At the same time, the Chinese people’s resilience during the pandemic and the post-pandemic economic recovery are described positively. The research summarizes that the pandemic worsened the depiction of China in Polish media.