China overtakes United States in global favorability, Pew survey shows

A new Pew Research Center survey of 36 countries and territories across six continents found that China is now viewed more favorably than the United States in 25 of them. Respondents gave higher approval to President Xi Jinping than to former President Donald Trump, and 46 % expressed a positive view of China versus 36 % for the U.S. among the 20 nations with comparable data. The shift marks the first time in nearly two decades that China leads the global popularity race. Traditional U.S. allies such as Canada, Mexico, Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan and Israel still show a preference for the United States, but many Asian, Middle‑Eastern and Western nations now rate China more positively. Analysts link the change to perceptions of China’s post‑pandemic recovery and its multilateral diplomatic activity, while U.S. favorability has fallen after the Trump administration’s foreign‑policy actions, including the war on Iran.