Dr. Rityusha Mani Tiwary (Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi), Dr. Jabin T. Jacob (Shiv Nadar University, India)

As the COVID-19 Pandemic rages worldwide, the debate surrounding the virus's origin has gained steady credence. The various gaps in information regarding the origin and spread of the virus have led to an image problem for China. While news reportage from China creates a simulacrum of a responsible and cooperative 'self', in contrast, western media coverage continues to unravel ambiguities in China's claims, pitching China as the 'other' in world politics. This paper analyses news coverage in two western dailies and two Chinese dailies (in English) - The New York Times, The Guardian, People's Daily and The Global Times - regarding the virus's origin since the Pandemic outbreak in January 2020 and investigates the framing and agenda-setting to compare and contrast China's image construction on either side. It builds on the tradition of studying images in international relations by positing perceived and associated images constructed in this case.