Digital health diplomacy as a sub-type of public diplomacy: Twitter use of the China embassy during the pandemic period

Diplomacy is shaped according to the conditions of the period it is in and needs new definitions. For example, the phenomenon of health has been encountered since humanity existed. Health problems are spreading from regional to general with globalization. This situation has revealed the concept of health diplomacy, which is the application of public diplomacy and the soft power of public diplomacy in relations between countries. Health diplomacy basically has an important place in maintaining relations with the international community and advancing foreign policy to gain confidence and create a positive image. In the changing global environment with the opportunities offered by mass media, the concept of digital diplomacy has emerged. The concept of digital health diplomacy emphasized in the study was also used to define diplomacy that takes place in the environment of global health problems. In this direction, it is a good example that the People's Republic of China, which is a closed society, has increased the number of Twitter accounts with an increase by %50,26 in the countries where it has embassies to create digital health diplomacy with the Covid-19 global pandemic. In this direction, it was analyzed how the shares of the Chinese Embassy in Ankara were used within the scope of digital health diplomacy during the one-year period between 31.12.2019 and 31.12.2020, when the outbreak was first announced via the official Twitter account of the Chinese Embassy in Ankara.