Poll shows more countries hold a favorable view of China than US: American media

By Zhang Han Published: May 15, 2025

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1334148.shtml

Far more countries hold a favorable view of China than the US - over three-quarters of the nearly 100 nations surveyed had a preferable view of Beijing compared to Washington - the Newsweek reported Wednesday citing a recent poll. 

The findings from the polling organization Nira Data's Democracy Perception Index (DPI) 2025 also found that perception of the US around the world has fallen sharply over the past year, it reported.

DPI is an annual poll conducted in joint with the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, which was founded by Anders Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and NATO secretary general.

The surveys were conducted in April, with an average sample size of around 1,100 respondents per country. Newsweek mentioned the US' sweeping tariffs as a background of the poll, saying that China has worked to deepen ties with the US' East Asian allies and encouraging the European Union to confront Washington's economic agenda.  

Per the poll, 76 countries out of 96 surveyed held a more positive view of China, equating to 79 percent. Beijing was viewed more positively across all continents, enjoying the largest levels of support in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Sub-Saharan Africa, Newsweek reported.

In Europe, net perceptions of China are often higher than those of the US, particularly in Western Europe. The same is true across much of Asia and Latin America. The gap was particularly wide in Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Tunisia, where China enjoyed nearly unanimous support, according to the poll. Exceptions to this trend included US allies such as Israel, South Korea, Japan, Poland, and Ukraine. 

The Nira Data report also revealed a stark change from 2024, when average perceptions of the US were more positive than negative, and significantly better than China and Russia, according to Newsweek. 

Net perceptions of the US have dropped from +20 to -5 since 2024, only slightly ahead of Russia. Meanwhile, views of China have risen from around +5 to +14.

A total of 55 percent of countries surveyed now have a net negative perception of the US, including some of its historic allies such as Canada, Mexico and the majority of EU nations.

Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the survey results align with the global majority's perception of the US' words and actions in international affairs, and that China's role as provider of stability and certainty is gaining growing recognition worldwide. 

Over the past few months, the US has adopted beggar-thy-neighbor policies, protectionism, unilateralism, and a series of bullying practices in its foreign policy, which are both incomprehensible and unacceptable, Li said, as a result, the US' image and influence in global affairs have declined.

Whether developed or developing, countries across the world are calling for stability and growth. In reality, national development interests are deeply intertwined, and countries are increasingly interdependent, Li said.