World opinion of China on the wane
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By Frank Ching
Earlier this year, the state-run China Daily newspaper published an article in which it asked, “How can China make more friends?”
This question is apt, especially since the latest 25-country poll for the BBC World Service shows that opinion of China has dropped to its lowest level since such polling began in 2005. In countries tracked by BBC, 41 percent of respondents held positive views on China with 39 percent negative.
This compares with 45 percent holding positive views of America and 34 percent with negative views, putting the U.S. ahead of China using both positive and negative indexes.
In fact, what is striking is that while the U.S. continued its slow decline in world opinion, China saw an abrupt reversal of a positive trend that started in 2010.
This year, the U.S. lost two points overall in positive rankings and one point in negative rankings. China, on the other hand, lost eight points in each.
And this drop in “friendship” is occurring throughout the world, although support for China is still strong among some African countries.
In North America, positive views of China have dropped to a record low in both Canada and the U.S. While Canadian opinion was leaning favorably in 2012, it is now firmly back in negative territory, with 29 percent positive versus 59 percent negative.
The situation is worse in the U.S., where Americans were divided last year (42 percent positive to 46 percent negative) but have become extremely negative this year (23 percent versus 67 percent).
Not surprisingly, Chinese views of Americans are also preponderantly negative, with the level rising to 57 percent (up nine points from 2012) and only 20 percent positive (down nine points).
Things are only a little less bleak in Mexico, where a plurality ― 47 percent ― now holds negative views, up 10 points since 2005, after being evenly split last year, 37 percent to 37 percent.
China’s image has fared even worse in Europe, where views have fallen sharply in Britain, Germany, France and Spain. In Britain, favorable views have dropped 20 points, to 37 percent, while negative views have soared to 50 percent.
As for China’s neighbors, there, too, anti-Chinese sentiments are on the rise. Only 23 percent of South Koreans have favorable views of China, down 10 points since last year, while 61 percent hold negative views.
Responses in Japan ― with which China has a territorial dispute ― are even worse, with 64 percent holding unfavorable views, 14 points higher than last year, and with only 5 percent holding positive views, the lowest of any country in the world.
Further south, Australian perceptions have dropped from 61 percent positive in 2012 to only 36 percent this year, with the negative numbers rising from 29 percent to 55 percent.
In sub-Saharan Africa, China’s global stronghold, the country can still point to considerable support but, even here, the support has softened.
In Nigeria, for example, positive views are held by 78 percent of people, but that represents an 11-point drop since 2012. In Ghana, 68 percent are still positive, but negative views have more than doubled, from 11 percent to 21 percent. In Kenya, positive views have fallen 17 points, to 58 percent.
Egypt, however, represents an exception, with favorable views rising seven points, to 57 percent.
The country where Beijing’s popularity is undoubted is Pakistan, where 81 percent of Pakistanis have a favorable view of China, 5 points higher than in 2012. This confirms a rising trend since 2010, when it was 56 percent.
The BRIC countries also provide comfort, with Brazil up six points to 54 percent positive. In Russia, it is 42 percent positive to 24 percent negative and in India, public opinion has moved from being evenly divided to 36 percent positive versus 27 percent negative.
So, why is China losing friends?
Interestingly, the China Daily article asserted that friendship is built upon “common economic interest, common security interests and common values.”
As China becomes an important trading partner of almost all countries, it is building common economic interest.
However, its assertive foreign policy may be an obstacle to developing common security interests, especially with countries with which it has territorial disputes.
But perhaps most important is the lack of “common values.”
As China rises, other countries observe not only how it treats its neighbors but also, perhaps even more importantly, how it treats its own people.
There is no rule of law to speak of within China, with the Communist Party being in control of the judiciary. Frequently, the courts are bypassed altogether and those with grievances are simply swept into labor camps for years at a time.
China’s leaders owe it to their people to treat them better. And if China stopped abusing its people, it may well see other countries extending the hand of friendship.
Frank Ching is a journalist and commentator based in Hong Kong. Email the writer at frank.ching@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter:@FrankChing1.