Indo-Pacific — 2026-07-16

Pew Survey Finds China and Xi Viewed More Favorably Than US and Trump in 25 of 36 Countries for First Time in 20 Years

BLUFWashington's two-decade soft-power edge over Beijing has collapsed among allied publics, converting tariff and annexation disputes into a structural diplomatic liability that constrains coalition-building.

A Pew Research Center survey of more than 42,000 adults across 36 countries and territories, conducted from February 8 to May 13, found more favorable views of China than the United States in 25 of the countries and territories surveyed, including Canada and Mexico, marking the first time in roughly 20 years of Pew tracking that China outpolled the US 1. Views also favored Chinese leader Xi Jinping over President Trump in 22 of the countries and territories, including Canada, Mexico, France, Germany and the UK 1. The US retained an edge over China in six countries, led by Israel at roughly 80% favorable to China's 19%, along with Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines and Poland 2. Canadian favorability toward the US fell from 57% in 2023 to 33% now, while favorable views of China rose from 14% to 44% over the same period 12. The US continued to outscore China on perceived government respect for personal freedoms, though that gap has narrowed since 2021, Pew reported 1.

Analysis
A twenty-year US soft-power advantage no longer holds automatically even among treaty allies, and Washington must now compete for favorability rather than assume it. Canada's swing, a 24-point US drop paired with a 30-point China rise since 2023, shows tariff disputes and annexation rhetoric translating directly into public opinion, complicating coordination with allied governments whose publics no longer track elite security postures. The narrowing gap on perceived respect for personal freedoms strips Washington of a rhetorical asset long used against Beijing. Sourcing rests on a single Pew release, with other outlets merely summarizing it, and the shift may instead reflect reaction to controversies clustered inside the survey window, including the Iran war, Greenland demands and the Venezuela raid, rather than a durable realignment toward Beijing.

4 sources

People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the US - Pew Research Center
China and Xi favored over U.S. and Trump in many nations: Survey - KPBS
China and Xi favored over U.S. and Trump in many nations: Survey - NPR
People globally view China's Xi more favourably than Donald Trump, Pew poll finds - France 24