Analysis of the Variables that Affect China's Presence in International News in the Context of Coronavirus

Abstract

Western media coverage of Covid19 had a focus of special interest in China during 2020, due to globalization and the pandemic nature of the crisis. The news agendas deepened and debated the responsibility of the Asian power in the spread of the disease. However, China's international attitude and diplomatic actions based on donations of medical supplies and vaccine development also began to spread. The research uses econometric models in linear probability to determine which are the main variables that explain Chinese public diplomacy in the news of 24 countries. The investigation shows that the western media give China a high level of interference in the origin of the pandemic. However, the results indicate that certain features of Chinese public diplomacy entered significantly in the news that mentioned the Asian giant, spreading a type of international leadership that disputes positions with the global hegemony of the United States.

Keywords: China, public diplomacy, Covid-19, data science

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002288