China has surpassed the United States in global favorability for the first time in two decades, according to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. The findings also indicate that favorable views of China have increased even among people in several of America’s traditional allies.
According to a Bloomberg report, amid a weakening global image of the United States, China received more favorable ratings than the US in a majority of the 36 countries included in this year’s survey. These countries include close US allies such as Canada, Australia, France and Germany.
Positive perceptions of China were particularly strong across the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. Only six countries—India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Israel and Poland—recorded higher favorability toward the United States than China.
Among the 20 countries with comparable survey data dating back to 2023, nearly half of respondents expressed favorable views of China, compared with just 36 percent for the United States.
Three years ago, the figures stood at 32 percent for China and 58 percent for the United States. After reaching historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s international image has shown a notable recovery.
The report noted that global perceptions of the United States became increasingly negative after Donald Trump began his second presidential term last year. Although the US still enjoyed higher favorability than China in most countries at that time, this year’s survey indicates that the situation has reversed.
A separate Pew survey on China also found that favorable views of the country have reached either record highs or near-record levels in many nations, including several European countries.
On foreign policy, respondents in 17 middle-income countries expressed greater concern about the United States than China. More people in these countries viewed China as a “reliable partner” and believed it was making either a “major” or “significant” contribution to global peace and stability compared with the United States.
The Pew Research Center conducted the survey between February 8 and May 13 this year, polling more than 42,000 respondents. The survey period coincided with the start of US military operations against Iran.
Source: Shishir, Alim and Akash, China Media Group (CMG).