WASHINGTON – More than one-quarter of Americans hold positive views of China, nearly double the proportion from a record-low three years ago, according to a new survey released by the Pew Research Centre.
About 27 per cent of Americans had a favourable view of China, according to the survey conducted in March, up six percentage points since 2025 and nearly double from a low in 2023 when an alleged Chinese spy balloon incident compounded deteriorating ties from a trade war and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, fewer Americans consider China an enemy, while more describe Beijing as a competitor.
About one in ten respondents said China is a partner of the US, according to the poll.
US-China relations stabilised after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea in 2025 that dialled back an escalating trade war.
The two leaders are slated to meet in May in Beijing and potentially again later in the year, as China’s top envoy hailed a “landmark year” for US ties despite a widening war in Iran.
The proportion of Democrats that view China favourably increased eight percentage points from 2025, while opinions among Republicans was little changed, according to the Pew survey.
Confidence in China’s Mr Xi to “do the right thing” improved by four percentage points, while confidence in Mr Trump to make good policy decisions regarding China slipped six percentage points compared to 2025.
The results uses data from two surveys conducted in March and January 2026 polling thousands of US adults. BLOOMBERG
