These are the results of a survey carried out by the Pew Research Center in 14 countries.
Newsroom (September 29, 2020 12:10 pm Gaudium Press) — The Pew Research Center does not need introductions. And the survey published yesterday can be scrutinized and debated, but it will be difficult to dismiss its results as false.
As a summary, it shows that the image of China has reached a historical low; since last year, the negative perception towards China has increased by more than 30 percent.
The survey carried out in 14 countries (Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States), reveals unexpected turns.
At first, the Asian giant’s fall in popularity could be linked to the way it handled the pandemic, or rather the lack of transparency in handling the information. However, the survey reveals that out of the 14 countries investigated, only two believe that the United States handled the COVID issue better than China. In other words, the fall in popularity must be explained concerning other factors: the anti-religious (particularly anti-Christian) and anti-human rights policies in the mainland; the attempts to end the freedoms in Hong Kong; the attacks to the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang; and of course the numerous clouds that cover their epidemic management, among other things.
Data
According to the survey, in France, a country considered as one of the most ‘pro-chinese’ powers in existence, the negative perception of China increased by 10 percent compared to last years’. In 2015 this perception was 49 percent. Today it reaches 70 percent.
Japan has a negative perception of 86 percent, and South Korea 75 percent.
In the U.S., 73 percent of people have a negative perception of China, a 20 percent increase since Trump became president. The increase in negative perception in Australia has grown at a much faster pace, rising from 57 percent negative opinion last year to 81 percent today.
Australia’s case may also have had an impact on the perception of other countries in the West. The Canberra authorities requested an international investigation into the origin of the pandemic in Wuhan. This was denied by China, resulting in mutual criticism and the increase of Chinese taxes on Australian agricultural products, followed by the restrain on Australian meat and wine imports.
In Britain, the fall in China’s image was brutal; from a negative perception of 50 percent last year to one of 75 percent today.
In total, the average negative perception of China in the countries surveyed is 73 percent.
The truth is that the most hurt by these results will always be China, which bases its economy on international trade and not on its internal markets.
Economy and politics
The economic repercussions of this decline in popularity will be felt sooner or later. And when we speak of economics we also speak of geopolitics. The two realms as closely linked. In other words, China’s economic expansion has led to an increase in its political influence. This power is now being challenged.
In this context of antagonism to China’s influence, Cardinal Muller was able to affirm, in a recent interview with Breitbart News, that the future expansion of that communist dictatorship in the world depends on the Republican victory in the next American elections.
Read also – Cardinal Muller: the “fateful” election in the US will determine the future of human rights throughout the world
