Research

Survey: PRC Increasing in Favorability Over US

Is China winning the world's trust, is its popularity a fragile illusion or is it too soon to predict the winner?

Published 2 hours ago

Survey: PRC Increasing in Favorability Over US

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Above: U.S. and Chinese flags at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

China's surge in global favorability isn't luck, but reflects a consistent foreign policy built on economic partnership, peace mediation and multilateral cooperation that resonates across the Global South and beyond. While U.S. credibility has cratered, China's stability under Xi has earned genuine trust from dozens of nations. The Pew data make clear that the world is actively choosing a different model of global leadership.

Global Times South China Morning Post

Anti-China narrative

China's favorable poll numbers don't change the strategic reality that Operation Epic Fury shattered one of Beijing's biggest geopolitical assumptions by exposing the limits of its Iran-centered strategy and demonstrating decisive U.S. power projection. America's only vulnerability isn't China itself but politicians willing to slow AI and critical infrastructure development. With most Americans aware of the China threat, it remains positioned to win long-term.

National Review Townhall

Narrative C

China's growing influence can't be explained away by either polling or military power alone. Beijing has real strengths in manufacturing, AI deployment and long-term strategic planning, but it also faces economic weaknesses and geopolitical constraints. Likewise, the U.S. still retains unmatched military, financial and research advantages, yet risks squandering them if it underinvests in education, innovation and understanding its competitors. Only time will tell which approach ultimately proves more successful.

Mario Nawfal on X Atlantic Council