The aim of the present study is to trace changes in the construction of the image of China in the British media during two crisis periods: the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian military operation. Each period encompasses a panic (escalation) phase and a recovery (stagnation) phase. Using data from the Factiva database, 70,356 articles published in four British media outlets were analyzed: the Times, the Sun, the Guardian and the Daily Mirror. The methodological basis of the study constitute the dependency theory and the agenda setting theory.