China’s reputation improves in Pew survey as US sees drop
While Trump has sought to rebalance in a fundamental way America’s vast trade networks, Xi has tried to improve relations with South-east Asia, Africa and Europe
[BEIJING] Public perceptions of China have improved over the past year, according to a new survey, while those of the US have dimmed, a trend that coincides with US President Donald Trump returning to office.
A median of 32 per cent of respondents in high-income countries had a favourable opinion of China, according to a report by Pew Research Center released on Wednesday (Jul 16), the highest level in six years. In contrast, the figure for the US fell to 35 per cent, the lowest in data going back to 2017.
Also, more respondents expressed confidence in President Xi Jinping than in a US leader, the first time that has happened since Trump’s first term. Still, the figures were low, at 24 to 22 per cent.
The broadest part of the research was done from January to late April, a period that includes Trump announcing tariffs on nations around the world on his so-called Liberation Day, though the levies were later paused while trade deals were negotiated. Pew said some 28,000 people around the world were surveyed but did not indicate how many participated in the rich nations.
While Trump has sought to rebalance in a fundamental way America’s vast trade networks, Xi has tried to improve relations with South-east Asia, Africa and Europe. The Pew survey seems to indicate Xi has had some success on that front, though China’s relationship with the European Union remains difficult over Beijing’s support for Russia since it invaded Ukraine.
On Monday, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused the Trump administration of “ceding global leadership to China”. They said in a report that the trade war and a retreat from international engagement through cuts to foreign aid and media agencies have undercut alliances and economic partnerships.
The latest Pew research also found that more people around the world see China as the top economic power, overtaking the US. A median of 41 per cent of adults across 25 countries gave the title to China, compared to 39 per cent for the US.
“This is a marked departure from two years ago, when considerably more people saw the US than China as the world’s leading economy,” it said.
Still, views of China and Xi still remain broadly negative. Just 36 per cent of people in the 25 nations had a favourable take on the nation. Some 66 per cent said they had little or no confidence in him. BLOOMBERG
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