The United States is viewed much more favorably than China in 24 countries, most of which are high-income nations, amid growing competition between the two nations, according to the Pew Research Center.
“This year, overall views of the United States are much more positive than views of China in most places surveyed,” Pew Research noted. “But this has not always been the case in our nearly two decades of favorability polling, and views of the countries have fluctuated alongside views of their leaders.”
The poll found that 59 percent have a favorable view of the United States, while 28 percent hold a positive view of China. Regarding the leadership of both nations, 54 percent approve of President Joe Biden, while 19 percent feel the same way about Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
A total of 30,861 adults were surveyed from Feb. 20 to May 22, 2023.
Across countries surveyed, Kenya and Nigeria hold more favorable views of China than the United States. But their ratings for Washington and Beijing are positive, with a favorable view of over 70 percent.
The survey also showed that public opinions for the United States and China vary across the countries surveyed.
In high-income countries, the differences in favor of the United States compared to China are much larger than in middle-income nations, with Poland and Japan having a gap of over 60 percentage points.
But in middle-income nations, positive ratings are seen for both countries, leading to a smaller public opinion gap.
The United States gets the lowest ratings in Hungary, where 44 percent hold a favorable view, compared with 55 percent in 2022.
The survey found that “a majority or plurality has favorable views of the United States but not China” in nine countries, such as Poland and Japan, where 63 percent hold a positive view of the United States but a negative view of China.
Most respondents said the United States interferes in other countries’ affairs but contributes to peace and stability worldwide. In Japan, 79 percent said the United States contributes a “fair amount” to global stability, while only 14 percent have the same view as China. Only respondents in Hungary consider that China contributes to world peace more than the United States.
Americans’ Views on China
In May, another survey by the Pew Research Center found that over eight in ten Americans (83 percent) had unfavorable views of China, and the number of people who saw communist China as an enemy surged as the tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated in recent years.Among 83 percent of Americans with unfavorable views of China, 44 percent said they had very negative views about China.
Around three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) had little or no confidence in Mr. Xi.
A rising number of Americans (38 percent) viewed China as an enemy compared to 25 percent in the January 2022 survey.
About half of American adults (52 percent) viewed China as a competitor, while only 6 percent considered it a partner.
The relationship between Washington and Beijing has deteriorated over the past few years. The two countries have clashed over various issues, such as Taiwan, trade, human rights, and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Beijing-Moscow relations were also a significant concern for Americans, particularly amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This issue concerned Americans more than any other issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including trade, Taiwan, or human rights.
Following Mr. Xi’s meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his Moscow visit in March, 62 percent of Americans see the China-Russia alliance as a severe problem for the United States.
For the Taiwan issue, poll respondents also see correlations between Russia’s treatment of Ukraine and the Chinese regime’s treatment of Taiwan, as many Americans hold much more favorable views of Taiwan (65 percent) than China (14 percent).
