"NATO Allies Increasingly See China as More Trustworthy Than Trump’s America"

Politico Poll on U.S. Sentiment in Five Countries

Many NATO Citizens Hold Negative Views

Trump’s Foreign Policy Seen as a Key Factor

A recent poll has revealed that a significant portion of citizens in NATO member countries now consider China to be a more reliable major power than the United States under President Donald Trump. The survey, released on March 15 (local time), suggests that President Trump's "America First" foreign policy, which has pressured allies, is likely a key factor in diminishing trust in the United States among these countries.

Politico Surveys 2,000 People in Five Countries

Reuters Yonhap News

The American political media outlet Politico, in partnership with the UK polling firm Public First, conducted a survey from February 6 to 9 (local time) in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, polling more than 2,000 respondents in each country. The margin of error was ±2 percentage points.

According to the results released on this day, when asked, "Between the United States under President Trump and China, which do you believe is more reliable to depend on?" 57% of Canadian respondents chose China, while 23% chose the United States under President Trump. The response rate for China was more than double that for the United States. The remaining 20% answered that they did not know.

In Germany, 40% chose China, while 24% picked the United States under Trump—a 16 percentage point difference. In France, 34% selected China, compared to 25% for the United States under Trump, a gap of 9 percentage points. In the United Kingdom, 42% chose China, while 34% selected the United States under Trump, an 8 percentage point difference.

For the question, "Which do you think will be the world’s leading power in 10 years, the United States or China?" the proportion choosing China was also higher. Specifically, 51% of German respondents, 49% of Canadian respondents, 48% of French respondents, and 45% of British respondents picked China. In comparison, only 33% in Germany, 35% in Canada, 36% in France, and 41% in the UK chose the United States.

However, within the United States, the perception remained strong that the country would maintain its status as the world’s leading power. Among American respondents, 63% said the United States would still be the world’s leading power in 10 years—a much higher figure than the 29% who picked China.

Politico: "A Consequence of Trump’s Foreign Policy"

Politico explained that this shift in perception is not so much due to a rise in confidence in China, but rather a result of the Trump administration’s policies. Majorities in both Canada and Germany said their countries are moving closer to China not because China has become more trustworthy, but because the United States has become less so.

Since the launch of his second administration in January last year, President Trump has pursued policies that diverge from the established international order, under the banner of "America First." These include delayed support for Ukraine, economic pressure on NATO allies, and the withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Human Rights Council. In addition, mutual tariff policies, remarks suggesting Canada could become "America’s 51st state," and ambitions regarding Greenland have all been cited as fueling tensions with major allies.

Respondents also tended to view China as ahead of the United States in advanced technology sectors. In the surveyed countries, many believed that China is more likely to lead in advanced technology competition, including artificial intelligence (AI). By contrast, within the United States, the dominant view was that American technology still outpaces China’s. The majority of American respondents said that the United States leads China in AI as well.

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