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US-China relations
Opinion
SCMP Editorial
Editorial
SCMP Editorial

A warmer global image gives China more room to boost cooperation

Rising global trust in Beijing can lower the hurdles to joint action on stability and prosperity

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Foreign tourists dressed in imperial costumes pose for photos near the Forbidden City in Beijing, on April 16. Photo: AP
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
Positive views of China have spread steadily since reaching lows at the start of the decade amid the pandemic. Now China is viewed more positively than the United States in many countries, while opinions of the US have worsened. Those are the main findings of surveys recently published by the US-based Pew Research Centre, covering 42,000 people in 36 countries. China is now viewed more favourably than the US in 25 countries. In many of these countries, this is a relatively recent shift, Pew noted.

While the US was still seen as respecting personal freedoms more than China, China was seen as interfering in other countries’ affairs less.

The results contrast with those from another Pew survey in 2020, published towards the end of Donald Trump’s first term as US president. Then, unfavourable opinion of China was driven by anti-Chinese-American influence, including Trump blaming China for the pandemic and his country’s domestic ills. The turnaround, unsurprisingly, is seen as the result of a backlash against Trump’s aggressive “America first” agenda. Historic American allies have been alienated by trade policies such as sweeping tariffs and by polarising international stances. At the same time, China’s global image has improved, particularly in middle-income nations.

The steady recovery of favourable global opinion of China, particularly across Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia, has been likely bolstered by its infrastructure investments, including the Belt and Road Initiative, and broader global economic engagement.

Meanwhile, European nations, Canada and Mexico have seen sharp drops in positive views of Washington. In many countries, confidence in US foreign policy has deteriorated sharply. Perceptions that the US disregards the interests of other nations and fails to adequately contribute to global stability have not helped.

Some things do not change. Beijing is an essential partner in the quest for global stability and prosperity. This was true at the start of the decade, when perceptions of China were largely negative; it remains true today. It is good that so many countries have shed negative perceptions that get in the way of cooperation.

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