World News
AMERICANS SHOW GREATER OPENNESS TO ENGAGEMENT WITH CHINA, NEW SURVEYS INDICATE
Two recent surveys have recorded a noticeable shift in how people in the United States view China, with more Americans expressing support for engageme...
By Patience
The findings come as Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump prepare for a meeting in Washington, placing the latest public-opinion figures in focus at a time when relations between the world's two largest economies remain closely watched.
The surveys do not show that Americans have broadly developed positive views of China. Negative perceptions remain more common. However, several of the latest figures point to a reduction in the level of negativity recorded in earlier years.
SUPPORT FOR ENGAGEMENT REACHES HIGHER LEVEL
One of the clearest changes was recorded in Americans' views about how Washington should approach Beijing.
A survey conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 57 percent of respondents supported a policy of friendly cooperation and engagement with China.
Another 40 percent preferred an approach aimed at actively limiting China's growth.
The 57 percent figure represents an increase in support for engagement compared with the survey conducted in 2024.
The latest survey also gave China an average rating of 39. That was up from 26 in 2024 and represented the highest level recorded by the council since 2020.
The survey was conducted between July 10 and 21 among 2,156 US adults selected to represent the country's population.
AMERICANS' OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF CHINA IMPROVES
Separate findings from the Pew Research Center also pointed to a change in Americans' perceptions.
Respondents who rated China on a scale from zero to 100 gave it an average score of 37. On that scale, zero represents the coldest possible view while 100 represents the warmest.
The latest average was higher than the score of 28 recorded in 2021.
The proportion of Americans giving China a positive assessment also increased. Nineteen percent expressed a positive view, compared with 11 percent in 2021.
There was also an increase in the share of Americans whose opinion was neutral. Twenty-seven percent fell into that category, compared with 20 percent five years earlier.
Despite those changes, the overall picture remained more negative than positive.
YOUNGER AMERICANS GIVE HIGHER RATINGS
The Pew survey also found differences between age groups.
Americans under 50 gave China an average rating of 42, while those aged 50 and older gave an average rating of 31.
Both groups, however, recorded higher assessments than they had in 2021.
The results therefore showed that the improvement was present among younger and older Americans, although younger respondents gave China the higher average score.
The Pew survey was carried out from September 14 through Sunday and involved 5,193 US adults. A total of 1,168 respondents provided a rating for China.
SHIFT EXTENDS ACROSS POLITICAL GROUPS
The change identified by the Chicago Council was also visible among Americans from different political backgrounds.
The survey found that perceptions of China had improved among both Democrats and Republicans since 2024.
Support for engagement with China had likewise increased, indicating that the change in opinion was not confined to one political group.
FEWER AMERICANS IDENTIFY CHINA AS A CRITICAL THREAT
The surveys also recorded a change in how Americans assess China's potential threat to the United States.
According to the Chicago Council findings, 41 percent of respondents considered China's territorial ambitions a critical threat.
That was down from 52 percent in 2022.
The survey further found that Americans were more likely than they were in 2021 to say that China was gaining respect internationally.
FINDINGS EMERGE AHEAD OF XI-TRUMP TALKS
The latest survey results arrive shortly before the planned meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Washington.
The figures show that, while concerns about China remain widespread among Americans, some measures of public opinion have moved toward more favourable assessments and greater support for engagement.
The findings from the two surveys therefore present a mixed picture: Americans continue to express substantial concern about China, but the level of support for cooperation and the overall ratings given to the country have improved compared with several earlier measurements.