Survey: 58 percent of Chinese hold favorable view of US

The Chinese view of the United States has been steadily improving and reached a peak over recent years in 2010, while the majority of Americans see China as neither a partner nor an enemy, according to a global public opinion survey released by the Pew Research Center on June 17.

The "Global Attitude Survey" program, headed by the former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former U.S. Senator John Danforth, polled 24,000 people in 22 countries between April 7 and May 8, 2010.

According to the survey, the proportion of Chinese who hold a favorable view of the United States stood at 34 percent in 2007, jumped to 41 percent in 2008 and climbed to 47 percent in 2009 before it surged to 58 percent in 2010, which is the highest point since China started participating in the survey in 2005.

Furthermore, 44 percent of Chinese hold positive opinions on the Obama administration's international policies, down by 13 percentage points from 2009 because of dissatisfaction over weapon sales to Taiwan and meetings between top U.S. officials and the Dalai Lama. Like the public in most of the surveyed countries, the confidence of Chinese in Barack Obama is declining, but 52 percent of Chinese still believe that Obama can do the right thing.

The survey also shows that 49 percent of Americans have a positive view of China, largely steady compared with that of 2009. Around 25 percent of Americans see China as a partner, 17 percent view China as an enemy and 52 percent think that China is neither a partner nor an enemy. The public in the United States is clearly concerned about China's ascension. Roughly 40 percent view China's economic growth favorable and 47 percent hold the opposite view.

China's growing military and economic clout has attracted other countries' close attention. Its growing military might was considered a "bad thing" by 88 percent of survey-takers in Japan, 87 percent in France, 79 percent in the United States and 72 percent in Germany, according to a report by Agence France Presse on June 17.

More and more people have recognized China's significant role in pulling the world out of the great recession. Looking at the 20 countries surveyed in each of the last three years, China's economic status keeps rising. The median number naming China as the world's leading economy has risen from 20 percent to 31 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage naming the United States has dropped from 50 percent to 43 percent. China's growing economic clout was seen as a "good thing" by 61 percent of respondents in Japan because China is one of Japan's largest investment markets.

The African people are fascinated by China's economic miracle, with 90 percent of poll-takers in Kenya and Nigeria seeing it in a positive light. However, China's rapid economic growth has also caused concerns in certain countries. About 69 percent of French respondents are worried about China's economy, the highest percentage among all countries.

By People's Daily Online
Additional support provided by LOTO