Abstract

This article deconstructs the Australian national identity through the “othering” of China amidst the coronavirus pandemic. During this time, Australia–China relations reached one of their lowest points in recent history. It examines the diplomatic fallout and the media frames used to portray China in the image of mistrust, fear, threat, and a place of disease and sickness. Through this process of “othering,” the Australian media reassigned and redefined its national identity and what it meant to be an Australian in the global order. The article engages with public discourse, highlighting the media's influence in narrating, shaping, and reinforcing the values of the national identity. It argues that these negative perceptions of China, place China in the seat of the “other” and serve to juxtapose and strengthen the Australian identity that is democratic, liberal, free, and just.