According a recent Pew Research Center survey, 67 percent of Americans registered “cold” feelings toward China in a rather nebulously named “feeling thermometer.” The study also revealed that roughly 9 in 10 Americans see China as an enemy or competitor rather than a partner. A different poll by Gallup put China’s unfavorability ratings among Americans at 79 percent—a historic high (or low), since polling began more than 40 years ago.
It isn’t just the United States. Around the world, unfavorable views of China have reached unprecedented heights in the last year, with the percentage of individuals having no confidence in Chinese leadership to “do the right thing” in world affairs rising by more than 15 percent across countries like Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The reaction among the Italian public is particularly noteworthy, given the extensive investment and medical aid China has offered the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
