Distrust of China Peaks in the US... 66% of Americans Hold Negative Views of China

SCMP Reports on US Pew Research Center Poll
71% of Americans Distrust Chinese President Xi Jinping... 20 Percentage Point Increase in One Year
Growing Possibility of US Political Sphere Using China Distrust Ahead of US Presidential Election

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Young-shin] A survey conducted in the United States revealed that more than two-thirds of Americans hold negative views about China.

This is interpreted as distrust toward China reaching its peak as the perception spreads that China is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported this on the 22nd (local time), citing a survey by the U.S. polling organization Pew Research Center. According to the survey, 66% of Americans responded that they have an "unfavorable view of China." This is a 19 percentage point increase compared to 47% in 2017 when President Donald Trump took office. SCMP explained that this is the highest negative view since the survey began in 2005.

Public opinion in the U.S. toward Chinese President Xi Jinping is deteriorating further. Seventy-one percent of Americans did not trust President Xi. Last year, the negative view of President Xi was 50%. Those who answered that "China's national power and influence pose a significant threat" also reached 62%. SCMP analyzed that factors such as the increase in the U.S. trade deficit and job losses, human rights violations, information and communication technology (ICT), and military competition have worsened public opinion in the U.S.

SCMP expressed concern that anti-China sentiment in the U.S. could worsen further. It is highly likely that President Trump, ahead of the presidential election, will maximize the use of anti-China sentiment. In fact, President Trump has consistently raised the issue of China's responsibility, mentioning terms such as "Knowingly Responsible" for the spread of COVID-19.

SCMP also forecasted that the U.S. Democratic Party is likely to make China a key issue during the election campaign. In this survey, 70% of Republican supporters and 60% of Democratic supporters held negative views of China.

Ovil Shell, Director of the Asia Society U.S.-China Relations Center, said, "Both the U.S. Republican and Democratic parties should adopt a more skeptical view of China's intentions." Cui Tiankai (崔天凱), Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., regarding the responsibility for the spread of COVID-19, said, "Some U.S. politicians do not pay attention to the scientific views of medical staff," and "Some politicians are obsessed with 'stigmatizing China'." He dismissed it as "an unfounded claim that ignores scientific expertise."

Meanwhile, this survey was conducted from the 3rd to the 29th of last month targeting 1,000 Americans aged 18 and over, with a margin of error of ±3.7 percentage points.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.