A recent survey by the Pew Research Center indicates a notable shift in global public opinion, with more people in 25 out of 36 countries expressing favorable views of China compared to the United States. This marks the first time since Pew began tracking sentiments toward these superpowers in 2002 that China has surpassed the US in so many countries, according to Jonathan Schulman, one of the study's researchers.

Respondents were asked to rate their opinions of each superpower as very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable. The survey also found that a median of 75% of respondents felt the US interfered in other countries' affairs a great deal or a fair amount, compared to 45% who said the same about China.

Despite China's higher favorability, confidence in its leader Xi Jinping remains relatively lower. Chong Ja Ian, a non-resident scholar with Carnegie China, commented that while China "may be more predictable and therefore makes some more comfortable, it does not take away from the fact that Xi is a major authoritarian figure." She also noted that people generally don't have as strong an opinion about Xi as they do about other leaders.

The survey began shortly after former US President Donald Trump intensified rhetoric about annexing Greenland and the US captured Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro. Pew has observed previous dips in positive views of the US during the end of George Bush's administration in 2008 and the start of Trump's first term in 2017, though favorable views of China were then typically on par or slightly lower.

The volatility of US policy, including the use of force and resulting economic harm, has contributed to global unease. Meanwhile, although China's image dipped during the pandemic, US think tank Asia Society's Global Public Opinion on China survey suggests it has only made a modest recovery since. Beijing has been actively working to improve its international image, though whether China is absolutely popular remains an open question.

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