The international community's perceptions of China are subject to ongoing debate, with public sentiments varying across different countries. Research suggests that developed democracies often harbour more negative attitudes towards China compared to less developed, authoritarian-leaning nations (Xie and Jin, 2022). Perceptions influence the building or decaying narratives that provide structure and meaning to experiences and guide actions (Roberts 2006). They also influence the sentiments and actions of actors towards one another in international relations (Wendt, 1992).

Despite the recognized influence of sentiments on shaping national role conceptions and domestic debates (Roberts, 2006), the connection between sentiments and narratives in social media discussions remains largely unexplored (Loseke, 2022). Recent discussions on role theory suggest that social media can serve as a significant domestic or international source for foreign policy (Bevir et al, 2013; Wehner and Thies, 2014: 411). However, relatively few studies exist on sentiments related to political issues in social media (Hyvärinen and Beck, 2018; Prior and van Hoef, 2018). Given the rising significance of social media in shaping political discourse, addressing this gap deserves attention (Duncombe, 2019). Therefore, exploring the sentiments towards China in foreign audiences through social media becomes a valuable means of understanding the narratives surrounding that country.

This chapter explores Turkish attitudes towards China on Twitter1 from 2012 to 2022, examining the interplay of public sentiments, official narratives and significant events like the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral agreements.