The “Zero-COVID” Policy of the People's Republic of China in the Discourse of Chinese and Western Media

The media is now considered to be the fourth branch of government due to the enormous influence exerted on people. Understanding this, governments often use this “power” for their own purposes. The political engagement of the media can be noticeable both in the domestic and foreign policy affairs of any state. Their influence on international relations makes the media to be one of the tools of “soft” and “hard power”. As a means of “soft power”, the mass media can be used to form a positive image of the state through the dissemination of its attractiveness; information can also be presented as propaganda, which is regarded as a “hard method. This paper will examine how China uses the media to maintain its own image abroad, and what kind of “reaction” it receives from Western media on the example of the changes in the “zero-COVID” policy at the end of 2022. Analyzing the Chinese media, the foreign and Chinese branches of one information agency, we have revealed discrepancies in the discourse. Different target audiences were provided with different information that was made for the sake of China’s own interests. Western media (British and American), assessing the “zero-COVID” policy, to a large extent criticize any Beijing’s decisions, that has a negative impact on the image of the state abroad. The lifting of restrictions and the opening of China’s borders led to a controversial reaction in the world. The way how China handles this new challenge will ultimately determine the viability of the “zero-COVID” policy.