Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis bagaimana penerima beasiswa sebagai salah satu stakeholder kebijakan luar negeri Tiongkok mempersepsikan diplomasi publik dan citra negara Tiongkok selama pandemi COVID-19. Pertama, diplomasi publik yang dilakukan Tiongkok dalam kerangka informasional dan relasional diidentifikasikan. Diplomasi publik yang dilakukan Tiongkok sebagai alat komunikasi krisis juga akan dilihat melalui Image Repair Theory. Selanjutnya, wawancara mendalam dengan tiga penerima beasiswa dan narasumber ahli dilakukan untuk menganalisis persepsi mereka terkait diplomasi publik dan citra negara Tiongkok selama pandemi COVID-19, di mana citra negara terdiri dari empat aspek; fungsional, estetik, normatif, dan emosional. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Tiongkok telah melakukan networking, messaging, bolstering dan corrective action. Secara informasional, selain dari sumber informasi domestik Tiongkok, informan juga mencari informasi pada media sosial Kedutaan Tiongkok di Indonesia. Secara relasional, vaccine diplomacy dinilai efektif untuk memperbaiki citra negara Tiongkok, walaupun belum dieksploitasi secara maksimal. Dalam persepsi citra negara, hanya tiga aspek yang teridentifikasikan, di mana aspek normative merupakan aspek yang paling menonjol.

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This study aims to analyze how scholarship recipients as one of China's foreign policy stakeholders perceive public diplomacy and the country image of China during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, China's public diplomacy in an informational and relational framework is identified. China's public diplomacy as a crisis communication tool will also be seen through the Image Repair Theory. Furthermore, in-depth interviews with three scholarship recipients and expert resource person were conducted to analyze their perceptions regarding public diplomacy and the China’s country image during the COVID-19 pandemic, where country image consists of four aspects; functional, aesthetic, normative, and emotional. The results showed that China had carried out networking, messaging, bolstering, and corrective action. Informationally, apart from Chinese domestic sources of information, informants also seek information on social media of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia. Relationally, vaccine diplomacy is considered effective in improving the image of the Chinese state, although it has not been exploited to its full potential. Regarding perception of China’s country image, only three aspects were identified, of which the normative aspect is the most prominent aspect