"Disliked the U.S. Because of Trump"... Global Public Opinion Shifts in Favor of China

An analysis suggests that global perceptions of the United States and China have shifted following the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.

According to the results of a major international survey released by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center on July 15 (local time), favorability ratings for the U.S. and China have reversed.

Among respondents in 20 major countries, the median percentage of those who expressed a favorable view of China was 46%, while the figure for the U.S. stood at only 36%, trailing by 10 percentage points.

From 2023 to 2026, the U.S. favorability rating dropped from 58% to 54%, 48%, and finally 36%, while China's rating rose from 32% to 33%, 38%, and 46% over the same period.

This shift in perception closely mirrors the trends in trust toward leaders such as President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

When asked whether President Xi does the right thing regarding international affairs, the median response among the 20 major countries this year was 31%, whereas President Trump received only 21%.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden, during his term, significantly outperformed President Xi, who remained at 19% for two consecutive years, with Biden recording 54% in 2023 and 47% in 2024.

However, in 2025, the first year of President Trump's second term, his trust rating fell to 32%, facing a challenge from President Xi (25%), and was ultimately overtaken this year.

The 20 countries included in the comparison are South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Israel, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Kenya, and Indonesia.

It is widely observed that the reversal in favorability between the U.S. and China is a result of President Trump strengthening unilateralism since his return to power in 2025.

The second Trump administration has pursued aggressive foreign policies, including high tariffs, the invasion of Iran, threats to annex Greenland and Canada, and the arrest and forced transport of the Venezuelan president.

Conversely, China and President Xi, who faced extremely negative evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic, are gradually restoring their reputation.

The Pew Research Center noted, "Looking at how global politics is currently unfolding, it is clear that changes in perceptions of both the U.S. and China are happening simultaneously."

Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a neutral U.S. private think tank, analyzed in an interview with the Washington Post, "The last two years have been a period where the idea that the U.S. is a reliable partner has completely collapsed," adding, "China has aggressively exploited that gap."

Across all 36 countries surveyed this year, 27 countries showed a higher percentage of people with a favorable view of China than the U.S.

Pakistan had the highest favorability toward China at 90%, followed by Nigeria (78%), Kenya (76%), and Sri Lanka (72%).

This is seen as favorability stemming from economic cooperation with China through the Belt and Road Initiative (a modern Silk Road) and China's aggressive investment in Africa.

In the majority of U.S. security allies, the percentage of people who feel more favorable toward China than the U.S. was also higher.

In the United Kingdom, traditionally the closest ally of the U.S., 46% of people felt favorable toward China, compared to 41% for the U.S.

Similar trends were observed in European allies such as France (35% vs. 27%), Germany (33% vs. 27%), Canada (44% vs. 33%), and Spain (54% vs. 30%).

In most of these European security allies, favorability toward the U.S. has dropped sharply since the start of President Trump's second term, falling below that of China.

This highlights the repercussions of the Trump administration's emphasis on "America First" and its tendency to downplay alliances.

In U.S. Asian allies and Eastern Europe, however, more people were found to have a favorable view of the U.S. than China.

In South Korea, the percentages of those who feel favorable toward the U.S. and China were 45% and 28%, respectively.

The figures were 50% and 11% for Japan, 45% and 23% for India, 56% and 40% for the Philippines, 49% and 39% for Poland, and 58% and 53% for Hungary.

Israel was evaluated as having the strongest pro-U.S. sentiment among the surveyed countries, with 81% and 19% of respondents expressing favorability toward the U.S. and China, respectively.

This year's survey was conducted from February to May among 42,151 adults in 36 major countries, with a margin of error of ±3.9 percentage points.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.