AMN/ WEB DESK
Negative perceptions of China have increased sharply among people in several advanced democracies, especially in Australia and Britain, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center released yesterday.
The survey comes as China is engaged in multiple trade and diplomatic disputes with its neighbors and other countries, driven in part by a more aggressive diplomatic approach.
The survey conducted in 14 democratic countries with advanced economies showed a majority of people had an unfavorable view of China. It was conducted from June 10 to Aug 3 among 14,276 adults across the 14 countries via telephone.
In Australia, 81% said they have an unfavorable view of China, according to the survey, a rise of 24 percentage points from last year. While the survey showed Australia had the sharpest increase in negative attitudes toward China, other countries also showed an upward trend: Those with an unfavourable view toward China hit 74% in Britain, a rise of 19 percentage points compared to last year; 71% in Germany, a rise of 15 points; and 73% in the U.S., a rise of 13 points. The 14 countries surveyed were the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., Australia, Japan and South Korea.
Further, in nine of the surveyed countries — Spain, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, the US, UK, South Korea, Sweden and Australia — negative views have reached their highest level in the 12 or more years that the center has been conducting the survey in those countries, according to Pew Research Center.
One of the most important factors with regard to China’s reputation abroad has been the coronavirus. The survey found a majority held a negative view of how China has handled the coronavirus, with a median of 61% across the 14 countries saying China had handled the outbreak poorly.