Wendy Leutert

A series of Twitter debuts by Chinese ambassadors since 2019 reflects a concerted, deliberate effort to shape global and domestic narratives about China and COVID-19. This paper presents the first systematic study of China’s Twitter diplomacy using quantitative and qualitative analysis of more than 32,000 Chinese ambassador Tweets. It finds that ambassadors used original posts and retweets to address topics including China’s defeat of the virus, provision of medical supplies and other aid abroad, the importance of international cooperation, the World Health Organization, and other countries’ pandemic responses. At the same time, however, ambassadors sharply criticized U.S. statements about China and the U.S. COVID-19 response. By combining positive messaging with digital displays of anger, Chinese diplomats construct narratives about COVID-19 that promote China as a responsible international leader while fostering favorable public opinion at home.