Investing

Americans View China as Enemy, According to Numbers

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: May 2, 2024 7:10 am

Today, China is viewed as America’s primary rival and, by some people, the biggest enemy of the United States. It ranks second in gross domestic product. America’s nominal GDP is $25.6 billion, while China’s is $18. billion. For years, the Asian nation grew much faster. That was not the case last year.

China has the world’s largest military, with slightly over 2.0 million personnel. America ties for third, at 1.3 million, with North Korea and Russia. China ranks second in military spending at $300 billion, while the United States is first at $812 billion. China has started to threaten U.S. allies, particularly Taiwan, which has caused worry about a military confrontation.

A new study shows how low people’s impressions of China are. The poll from Pew reveals that 81% of Americans view the country unfavorably, compared to only 47% in 2018.

Some Americans have an even worse view. In the new poll, 43% have a very unfavorable view of China.

Why is the impression of China so poor? Seventy-one percent of those asked believe its influence in the world is growing. In part, the authors wrote that this is because “75% of those who say China has at least a fair amount of impact on the U.S. economy.” For years, some Americans believed that many U.S. manufacturing jobs had moved to China, although some had been because American companies wanted cheaper labor. Part of the reaction to this trend recently is tariffs on some Chinese goods. (China is investing the most money in these nations.)

Finally, the country has an emerging role in territorial disputes. This is linked to its growing military presence. Sixty-one percent of those polled are very or somewhat concerned about “territorial disputes.”

Given China’s military challenge to the United States and its attempts to expand its influence to other regions, including Africa and India, Americans are not likely to change their impressions.

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