The flag of the United States of America and the flag of the Republic of China.
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Americans mostly have an unfavorable opinion of China, and more and more people call it an enemy of the United States, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Wednesday.
About 42% of respondents called China an enemy of the United States — the highest proportion since the Washington, D.C.-based think tank began asking the question in 2021 — up from just a quarter ago two years.
The survey found that for the fifth year in a row, about four in five Americans view the country in an unfavorable light, while 43 percent view it very unfavorably.
Half of respondents identified China as a competitor, while 6% consider it a partner of the United States.
The poll results come at a contentious time between the world’s two largest economies and on the eve of the US presidential elections.
Outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump have announced tough stances on China, amid intensifying trade restrictions, sanctions and proposed bans on Chinese companies. such as TikTok owner ByteDance.
These policies appear to be consistent with public opinion. Pew Research findings showed that about half of Americans surveyed believe that limiting China’s power and influence should be a top foreign policy priority for the United States.
“They also criticize China’s impact on the U.S. economy, calling its influence significant and negative,” Pew said in its report. The survey also found that those who believe the current economic situation in the United States is bad are more likely to blame China and have an unfavorable opinion of the country.
About 71% of respondents said China had become more globally influential in recent years, and 61% of Americans were concerned about regional conflicts between the country and its neighbors.
Opinions on China varied widely based on factors such as age and political affiliation. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were about twice as likely as Democratic-leaning ones to have a very unfavorable view of China and view it as an enemy.
Older Americans also had more hawkish views toward China. Conversely, 28% of people aged 18 to 29 have a favorable opinion of the country, more than any other group.
While some experts have warned that deteriorating Sino-US relations threaten a “cold war”, there have been efforts to ease tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently visited China with the aim of strengthening dialogue and collaboration.
“The relationship is becoming slightly more stable, although fundamentally it remains a struggle between competition on one side and cooperation on the other,” said Graham Allison, a professor of government at Harvard University and former U.S. assistant secretary of State. Defense for Policy and Plans, at CNBC. Squawk Box Asia” Monday.
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