US-China will never be 'bhai bhai': Majority Americans consider Beijing as 'enemy', not just 'competitor'

Washington/Beijing: About eight in 10 American adults (or 83 per cent) continue to have negative views of China, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. The number is up 1 percentage point compared to 2022. On the other hand, those with very unfavourable views have increased by four percentage points since 2022, from 40 to 44 per cent, as per the survey results. The Pew Research Centre surveyed 3,576 adults between March 20-26.

When asked to label China as either a competitor, enemy or partner of the U.S., Americans are most likely to say China is a competitor (52% say this). https://t.co/jkAWvOjp0p pic.twitter.com/hehFalYWUK

— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) April 13, 2023

It further stated that around four in 10 Americans now describe China as an enemy of the United States, rather than as a competitor or a partner – up 13 points from 2022. In the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a whopping 62 per cent of Americans see the China-Russia partnership as a very serious problem for the United States, up five points since October and back to the original high levels seen in the immediate aftermath of the Ukraine invasion in 2022, the research states. For the unversed, Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow was from March 20-22 – the start of the survey period. Further, the results show that 47 per cent of respondents say tensions between mainland China and Taiwan pose a very serious problem for the US – up by four percentage points since October 2022 and 19 points since February 2021. “China’s policies on human rights are also a very serious concern for around half of Americans,” it said.

On issues like resolving international conflicts, climate change policy and combating the spread of infectious disease, Americans are more likely to say the U.S. cannot cooperate with China than say it can. https://t.co/OGKLW0Fw1U pic.twitter.com/qTMfhTdjtc

— Pew Research Global (@pewglobal) April 12, 2023

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The research has also found that more than twice as many Americans support the US government banning TikTok as oppose it (or 50 per cent versus 22 per cent), while 28 per cent were not sure. The Pew Research added, “Americans are also critical of China’s behavior on the international stage. Around three-quarters or more say China does not take the interests of other countries like the US into account, that it interferes in the affairs of other countries and that it does not contribute to peace and stability around the world.” The report suggests that Republicans are around twice as likely as Democrats to say China does not contribute to peace and stability at all (40 per cent against 21 per cent). Noting that Americans are “somewhat skeptical” about possibilities of cooperation with China, the report stated, “On issues like resolving international conflicts, climate change policy and combating the spread of infectious disease, Americans are more likely to say the US cannot cooperate with China than say it can. However, there are two areas where Americans are more open to the possibility of collaboration with Beijing: student exchanges and trade and economic policy.” Talking about the survey, Dr Laura Silver, associate director at Pew Research Centre, told The Straits Times, “We’ve seen increasing negativity towards China on almost every one of our surveys, especially in recent years. “So to continue seeing that trend, especially in the wake of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s cancelled trip and the spy balloon and the Xi-Putin summit and the TikTok hearings, it’s definitely consistent with past findings and kind of the tenor of the day – that Americans have a deepening negativity towards China”. Read the full report here. (With inputs from agencies) Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.