The article deals with issues related to modern communication studies. Particular attention is drawn to the factors that influence the creation of a particular image (in particular, the image of China) by means of language. Taking into account the influence of the media text on public opinion and the formation of a certain vision of the image of the country, both lexical, grammatical, and syntactic language possibilities are analyzed. Based on the understanding of today's features of communication associated with the expansion of the information field due to the widespread use of Internet technologies, social networks stand out as a tool for shaping public opinion and a "sounding" response to the most significant events not only on a national scale, but also on a global scale. The COVID-19 pandemic is becoming such an event that has affected all countries without exception. In the context of this problem, the authors propose to analyze a large amount of material collected in the Russian social network VKontakte (VK). The choice of VK is substantiated due to the great popularity among Chinese users, recognition, wide distribution as the only “recognizable” Russian social network. Describes the method of discourse analysis and the relevance of its application for this study. The paper presents an overview of the works of Russian and foreign scientists devoted to the study of discourse. Based on the regularities identified from the discourse analysis, a classification of "evaluative" means is proposed, based on semantic and word-formation approaches. The conclusion is made about the dynamics of the formation of a positive image of China in the social and communicative context of the Russian-speaking community.