DistantNews
Support us
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Culture & Society

China and Xi Jinping seen more favourably than the US and Trump in poll of major countries

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • A new Pew Research Center poll indicates that China and Xi Jinping are viewed more favorably than the U.S. and Donald Trump in a majority of surveyed countries.
  • This marks the first time China has been viewed more positively than the U.S. in Pew's global opinion tracking over the past 20 years.
  • Factors contributing to the shift include U.S. foreign policy tensions, particularly under the Trump administration, and China's perceived reliability as a partner.

Global public opinion has shifted, with China and its leader Xi Jinping now viewed more favorably than the United States and President Donald Trump in most surveyed countries, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center. This represents a significant reversal from previous years, where the U.S. consistently held a more positive image abroad.

There was just an actual relationship between the outbreak of the war and the sense that the US is just not contributing to peace and stability and that people have less confidence in Donald Trump.

— Laura SilverLaura Silver, associate director of Pew's Global Attitudes Research, explained the link between global conflicts and declining confidence in the US.

The poll, conducted between February and May, found that favorable views of China surpassed those of the U.S. in 25 out of 36 surveyed countries and territories. This includes major nations like Canada, Mexico, and key European powers such as France, Germany, and the UK. Conversely, only six countries, including Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, and Israel, still hold more positive views of the U.S. than China.

Researchers attribute this change to several factors. The fading impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a perceived decline in global confidence in the U.S., particularly concerning its contribution to peace and stability, have played a role. Specific U.S. actions, such as demands regarding Greenland, military operations in Venezuela, and the handling of the Israeli-Hamas war, have also negatively impacted perceptions. In contrast, China appears to benefit from being seen as a more reliable international partner contributing to global stability.

By comparison, we know that China is seen to be a more reliable partner in many places. It’s more likely to be seen to contribute to global peace and stability.

— Laura SilverSilver elaborated on why China's image has improved relative to the US in global perceptions.

Laura Silver, an associate director at Pew Research Center, noted that this is the first time in approximately 20 years of tracking global opinions that China has held a significantly more positive standing than the U.S. While views have been similar in the past, the current favorability towards China is unprecedented. The Chinese embassy in Washington welcomed the poll results, stating they recognize China's governance and development progress, while the White House had not immediately responded.

demonstrates that China’s governance achievements and development progress are widely recognised.

— Chinese embassy in WashingtonThe Chinese embassy commented on the poll results, highlighting the recognition of China's progress.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog