Canada, Germany, and Spain Turn Away..."Trump Drives Surge in Favorability Toward China"

16 Countries Shift to 'Pro-China' Stance Out of 41
Only 13 Nations Remain in the 'Pro-U.S.' Camp
"Favorability Plummets Due to Tariff War Fallout"
"Trump's Trade Policy Is Making China Great"

Since Donald Trump took office as President of the United States, global favorability toward the U.S. has plummeted, while favorability toward China has surged. This is the first time China has surpassed the United States in global favorability ratings. This shift is interpreted as a result of growing resentment toward the U.S., which opened the door to a global tariff war.

Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Xi Jinping, President of China. Photo by Yonhap News AFP

On June 4, U.S. media outlet Axios, citing polling firm Morning Consult, reported that a survey conducted between January and April of this year among 4,900 adults in 41 countries?including South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Russia?showed that, as of the end of last month, China’s favorability score reached 8.8 points, far ahead of the United States, which scored minus 1.5 points.

This is the first time since Morning Consult began conducting this survey in 2020 that China has overtaken the United States. This marks a stark contrast to January of last year, when the U.S. favorability score was above 20 and China’s was minus 5.

By country, the U.S. standing declined in 38 out of 41 countries, while China’s standing improved in 34 countries. Since President Trump’s inauguration in January, Russia was the only country where perceptions of the United States significantly improved.

The report analyzed that “the Trump administration’s tariff policies had the greatest impact on the change in favorability.” Jason McMahan, head of political intelligence at Morning Consult, pointed out, “Since we began tracking in October 2020, this is the first time China has overtaken the United States. The countries surveyed include many of America’s most important economic and military partners, making this a clear blow to U.S. soft power.”

During the survey period, 16 countries shifted from being pro-U.S. to pro-China, bringing the total number of countries classified as “pro-China” to 29. The countries where favorability toward China increased the most include Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Austria, and Germany. In contrast, among the 41 countries, only 13?including South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam?remain in the “pro-U.S.” camp.

Axios commented, “Trump’s trade policies are making China great again at the expense of the United States.” The outlet further warned, “The decline in America’s reputation is also causing economic losses. The number of foreign tourists, who have grown disenchanted with White House policies, has decreased, the value of the dollar has fallen, and there is potential for even greater damage in the future.”