More people around the world view China more positively than the US for the first time in almost 20 years, according to Pew Research Center report released on Wednesday, with sentiment shifting even among some of Washington’s allies as the two powers compete for influence globally. Public opinion of the US has worsened to the extent that China is now seen more favorably in most of the 36 countries surveyed this year. Those include Canada, Australia, France and Germany — US allies where the “favorability gap” with Beijing has reversed in the past few years. In 20 countries with comparable data going back to 2023, nearly half held a positive view of China, while only 36 percent regarded the US favorably.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Donald Trump walk through the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on May 15.
That is a significant reversal from three years ago, when the US scored 58 percent against China’s 32 percent. It also marks a rebound for Beijing after its rating hit historic lows in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Global views of the United States worsened last year as [US] President Donald Trump’s second term began, though most people still had a more positive opinion of the US than China,” the report said. “This year, that is no longer the case.”
