这篇硕士论文研究了德国媒体对中国的形象，特别是关注《南德意志报》。选择该报是因为其拥有大量的读者群，线上阅读量大，以高质量新闻著称，并在德国媒体界有着显著的声音。通过比较2019年12月和2023年1月对中国的媒体报道，该研究旨在揭示疫情期间中国形象的变化，并确定影响这些变化的因素。这为了解中国和德国之间的变化关系以及媒体在塑造公众观念和影响政策决策中的角色提供了洞察。该论文通过内容分析，检查了媒体报道的六个主要类别：政治关系，经济关系，文化和社会方面，人权和治理，安全和防御，以及媒体基调。研究发现，这些类别中对中国的描绘有了显著的变化尤其在安全和防御问题上表现出更为批评的态度。为了理解媒体报道变化的驱动因素，该研究调查了地缘政治紧张和冲突，德国国内政治，经济利益和贸易关系，Covid-19，以及文化和社会因素的影响。在这些因素中，地缘政治紧张和国内政治对媒体对中国的描绘的变化影响最大。研究结果表明，媒体报道不仅反映了中国和德国之间的变化动态，还反映了更广泛的地缘政治背景，特别是与中国的全球影响力增长和其与美国的关系相关。对德国国内政治的分析表明，从安格拉·默克尔转变为奥拉夫·朔尔茨的政府变化对中国的看法有所改变。这种政治领导变化对中国的媒体报道有影响。该研究还考虑了经济利益和贸易关系在塑造媒体报道中的作用，注意到虽然经济问题影响了对中国的描绘，但对安全和防御问题的关注变得更为突出。该研究还探讨了COVID-19大流行对德国媒体中中国形象的影响，研究发现，大流行在分析的文章中扮演的角色相对较小。然而，中国对危机的初步应对及其对全球公共卫生的影响可能已经增加了媒体中的怀疑和批评。尽管这篇论文对《南德意志报》对中国的描绘提供了洞察，但它也有局限性。主要是，该研究聚焦于单一的报纸和特定的时间框架，限制了它代表整个德国媒体的能力和时间波动。内容分析的主观性和建立因果关系的困难进一步复杂化了解释。《南德意志报》自身的意识形态偏见也可能影响研究结果的客观性和普遍性。尽管存在这些局限性，这篇硕士论文对理解中国在德国媒体中的形象的复杂性和动态性以及塑造其描绘的因素做出了贡献。未来的研究可以扩大分析范围，包括德国和欧洲的更广泛的媒体机构。

This master thesis investigates the image of China in German media, with a specific focus on Süddeutsche Zeitung which was selected due to its large readership, online reach, reputation for quality journalism, and its role as a prominent voice in the German media landscape. Despite a possible bias towards economic aspects due to its left-liberal stance, its commitment to quality reporting and relative impartiality makes it an optimal choice for this study. By comparing the media coverage of China in December 2019 and January 2023, the study aims to uncover the changes in the portrayal of China over the time of the pandemic and to identify factors that have influenced these changes. This offers insights into the evolving relationship between China and Germany and the role of media in shaping public perception and informing policy decisions.Using content analysis, the thesis examines six primary categories of media coverage: Political Relations, Economic Relations, Cultural and Social Aspects, Human Rights and Governance, Security and Defense, and Media Tone. The findings reveal a significant shift in the portrayal of China across these categories, with a more critical stance emerging after Covid-19, especially in the context of security and defense issues. The analysis also highlights the importance of media framing in constructing the image of China, as the framing of China as a potential threat underscores the critical role that media plays in shaping public opinion and informing policy decisions.In order to understand the factors driving the changes in media coverage, the study investigates the influence of geopolitical tensions and conflict, domestic German politics, economic interests and trade relations, Covid-19, and cultural and social factors. Among these factors, geopolitical tensions and domestic politics have had the most significant impact on the changes in media portrayal of China. The findings suggest that the media coverage reflects not only the evolving dynamics between China and Germany but also the broader geopolitical context, particularly in relation to China‘s growing global influence and its relationship with the United States. The analysis of domestic German politics reveals that the change in government from Angela Merkel to Olaf Scholz has contributed to a change regarding China. This shift in political leadership has had implications for the media coverage of China. The study also considers the role of economic interests and trade relations in shaping media coverage, noting that while economic concerns have influenced the portrayal of China, the focus on security and defense issues has become more prominent. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the image of China in German media is also explored, with the findings indicating that the pandemic has surprisingly played a relatively minor role in the analyzed articles. Nevertheless, the initial handling of the crisis by China and its implications for global public health have likely contributed to increased skepticism and criticism in the media. Lastly, the thesis examines the influence of cultural and social factors on the relationship between China and Germany, concluding that these factors have played a marginal role in the media coverage during the analyzed periods.Despite its insights into China‘s portrayal in Süddeutsche Zeitung, this thesis has limitations. Primarily, the study‘s focus on a single newspaper and specific timeframes limits its representativeness of German media as a whole and temporal fluctuations. Subjectivity in content analysis and difficulty in establishing causal relationships further complicate interpretations. The Süddeutsche Zeitung‘s own ideological biases may also affect objectivity and generalizability of the findings. Although these limitations exist, this master thesis contributes to the understanding of the complexities and dynamics of China‘s image in German media and the factors shaping its portrayal. By deepening our understanding of these dynamics, the study can inform policy decisions and international relations in an increasingly interconnected world. Future research could expand the scope of analysis to include a wider range of media outlets in Germany and Europe.