Americans’ views on China improve ahead of Trump-Xi summit: Survey
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Now, fewer Americans consider China an enemy, while more describe Beijing as a competitor.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – More than one-quarter of Americans hold positive views on China, nearly double the proportion from a record low three years ago, according to a new survey released by the Pew Research Center.
About 27 per cent of Americans had a favourable view on China, according to the survey conducted in March, up 6 percentage points since 2025 and nearly double from a low in 2023, when an alleged Chinese spy balloon incident compounded deteriorating ties from a trade war and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, fewer Americans consider China an enemy, while more of them describe Beijing as a competitor. About one in 10 respondents said China is a partner of the US, according to the poll.
US-China relations stabilised after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea in 2025 that dialled back an escalating trade war.
The two leaders are slated to meet in May in Beijing and potentially again later in the year, as China’s top envoy hailed a “landmark year” for US ties despite a widening war in Iran.
The proportion of Democrats who view China favourably increased 8 percentage points from 2025, while opinions among Republicans were little changed, according to the Pew survey.
Confidence in China’s Mr Xi to “do the right thing” improved by 4 percentage points.
However, confidence in Mr Trump to make good policy decisions regarding China slipped 6 percentage points compared with in 2025. The results use data from two surveys conducted in January and March that polled thousands of US adults. BLOOMBERG
