China And Xi Are Seen More Favorably Than The U.s. And Trump In Many Nations, New Survey Says

WASHINGTON — The world has mostly viewed nan U.S. much favorably than China for years, but those opinions person flipped successful Beijing’s favour this year, according to a caller canvass by nan Pew Research Center, a singular displacement driven successful portion by tensions betwixt nan Trump management and U.S. allies.

More group person favorable views of China than nan U.S. successful 25 retired of nan 36 countries and territories that were surveyed, including Canada and Mexico. The canvass was conducted from February to May, a play erstwhile nan United States and Israel launched a warfare against Iran.

In only six countries do group still spot nan U.S. much positively than China, according to nan findings released Wednesday.

Views successful 22 retired of nan 36 countries and territories besides are much favorable of Chinese leader Xi Jinping than President Trump, including successful Canada, Mexico and awesome European powers including France, Germany and nan U.K. However, group successful galore of nan countries person debased assurance successful some men.

It marks nan first clip successful nan astir 20 years Pew has been search world opinions that China has been viewed much positively than nan U.S., said Laura Silver, subordinate head of Pew’s Global Attitudes Research and 1 of nan researchers connected nan study. Views of Beijing and Washington person been very akin astatine immoderate points successful nan past but person not been importantly much favorable for China until now, she said.

The displacement follows nan COVID-19 pandemic becoming a distant rumor and arsenic world views of nan U.S. person soured, Silver said.

“There was conscionable an existent narration betwixt nan outbreak of nan warfare and nan consciousness that nan U.S. is conscionable not contributing to bid and stableness and that group person little assurance successful Donald Trump,” she said.

Trump’s demands to power Greenland, nan American subject ambush that captured Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolás Maduro, and nan U.S. handling of nan Israeli-Hamas warfare successful Gaza besides person led to debased support successful galore countries, Silver said.

“The U.S. has done a batch successful position of world engagement successful caller months to years that is not being perceived positively internationally,” she said.

Aside from benefiting from nan fading representation of nan pandemic, China appears to person gained from comparison pinch nan U.S., Silver said.

“By comparison, we cognize that China is seen to beryllium a much reliable partner successful galore places. It’s much apt to beryllium seen to lend to world bid and stability,” nan interrogator said.

Notably, those successful immoderate U.S. allied countries person drastically shifted their views successful caller years, specified arsenic Canada. In nan caller survey, only 33% of Canadians person affirmative views of nan U.S., down from 57% successful 2023. Over nan aforesaid period, their favorable opinions of China roseate from 14% to 44%.

Trump slapped a barrage of tariffs connected Canadian equipment past year, and moreover claimed that Canada could beryllium nan “the 51st state.”

Major European countries — including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, nan Netherlands and Italy — each person switched their opinions toward nan world’s 2 largest economies.

People successful nan U.K., wherever astir 6 successful 10 held affirmative views of nan U.S. successful 2023, now position China and nan U.S. similarly. Three years ago, nan dispersed was 32 percent points successful Washington’s favor.

Of nan six countries wherever group person much favorable views of nan U.S., Israel leads nan way. About 8 successful 10 Israelis position nan U.S. positively, compared pinch 19% for China.

The different 5 countries are Japan, India, South Korea, nan Philippines and Poland. Still, moreover their views of nan U.S. person dimmed complete caller years.

The U.S. is still up of China erstwhile it comes to authorities respect for individual freedoms, though nan spread is shrinking, nan Pew study says.

While China’s opinionated has improved somewhat, nan narrowed disagreement is “driven mostly by nan truth that group successful astir each state surveyed person go little apt to opportunity nan U.S. authorities respects its people’s individual freedoms” since 2021, erstwhile Pew past asked nan question.

For nan caller study, Pew surveyed much than 42,000 group crossed 35 countries positive nan West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem, pinch margins of correction ranging from 2.3 to 5.5 percent points depending connected nan country.

Tang writes for nan Associated Press. AP journalists Linley Sanders, Emily Swanson and Kevin S. Vineys contributed to this report.