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Carol Yang

China could improve its image in the United States by highlighting areas such as tourism and technology and positioning itself as a responsible major power, a survey has concluded.
Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou said that although concepts such as “decoupling” and “de-risking” had been increasingly prominent in media coverage of China, this had not entirely wiped away positive impressions of the country.
When evaluating China’s strengths on a scale of 1 to 5, the respondents placed global influence at the top with a score of 4.38, followed by achievements in science and technology at 3.59 and higher education at 3.56.
The survey found many respondents believed China was contributing to global peace, stability and governance, prompting the researchers to argue that Beijing should reinforce its image as a responsible major power by highlighting its role in United Nations peacekeeping missions, in fighting climate change and providing aid.
It also emphasised the need to directly address “misunderstandings” and “scepticism” in international media through greater transparency and openness.
The researchers also noted that the American public had “a high level of interest” in issues such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet.
While the paper, published in the Chinese-language journal Global Communication, did not elaborate on what topics interested them, Western media coverage of these areas typically revolves around issues such as human rights, separatism, the environment and cultural preservation.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to reunite it with the mainland. The United States, in common with most countries, does not recognise the self-ruled island as independent, but opposes any attempt to seize it by force and is committed to supplying it with arms to defend itself.
The researchers said more diverse perspectives on areas with large ethnic minorities should be put forward.
“We should face up to the limitations in how the international community – particularly certain Western media – perceives China’s global role, strengthen the explanation and communication of China’s foreign policy and multilateral contributions, counter misreadings and biases stemming from external narrative constructions, and foster a comprehensive understanding of China’s international image [abroad],” the report said.
The findings follow a survey carried out by the Pew Research Centre in the US earlier this year that found that the number of Americans with a favourable view of China was rising.
While negative opinions remained dominant, the poll found that 27 per cent of respondents held a positive opinion of China – up 6 percentage points from the previous year and nearly double the level recorded in 2023.
The Pew survey also found that respondents’ confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the right thing regarding world affairs had also risen by 4 points over the past year, roughly doubling since 2023.
The Sun Yat-sen University survey also found there was strong public interest in non-political areas.
Science and technology topped the list of areas American respondents were most curious about in China at 58.2 per cent, followed closely by tourism and food, both tied at 56.6 per cent.
The researchers said that international outreach efforts should focus on technology and tourism, and called for a greater focus on the human-interest stories behind scientific breakthroughs and their positive contributions to global development.
“[This approach could] help break down the anxiety over tech competition hyped by some US media outlets, guiding the American public to pay attention to the global welfare generated by technological cooperation,” the study noted.


For tourism, researchers called for high-quality promotional content on social media and said more influencers should be invited to experience daily life in China first hand.
Last year, the popular American live-streamer IShowSpeed (real name Darren Watkins) toured several Chinese cities, marvelling at the advanced infrastructure and smart technology he saw.
His live streams attracted around 10 million views combined and some of his followers commented that China was “on another level” – a moment widely taken as a soft-power win for the country.
The Sun Yat-sen University’s online poll sampled 1,327 American adults with a mean age of 32.8 and a balanced gender ratio.


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News

China

Diplomacy

Survey by Sun Yat-sen University team also concludes that many people believe the country has played a positive role on the world stage


Survey by Sun Yat-sen University team also concludes that many people believe the country has played a positive role on the world stage.


United States

Xi Jinping

Pew Research Centre

Tourism and technology may hold key to boosting China’s public image in the US

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Survey by Sun Yat-sen University team also concludes that many people believe the country has played a positive role on the world stage

Survey by Sun Yat-sen University team also concludes that many people believe the country has played a positive role on the world stage