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WASHINGTON: Western views on China have drastically soured amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with record numbers in major developed countries viewing the Asian power unfavorably, a poll showed on Tuesday (October 6).
The study of 14 countries by the Pew Research Center found a sharp deterioration in perceptions of China in the United States, where President Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to blame Beijing for the pandemic.
Seventy-three percent of Americans view China unfavorably, an increase of nearly 20 percentage points since Trump took office in 2017 with a nationalist agenda.
Negativity toward China spiked most sharply in Australia, which has faced retaliation from its main trading partner as it largely backs its American ally.
A record 81 percent of Australians now view China in an unfavorable light, 24 percentage points more than the previous year, he said.
Negative views on China also hit record highs in Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and Sweden.
China initially suppressed news of the mysterious respiratory illness when it emerged in Wuhan, though authorities have since tried to come out victorious in defeating the virus through aggressive efforts.
Across all nations surveyed, 61 percent said China had done a poor job dealing with the outbreak.
The only nation or institution that scored the worst was the United States, which accounts for one-fifth of the more than 1 million people who have died from COVID-19.
An earlier Pew study found that America’s image had also plummeted to record lows in other wealthy democracies as COVID-19 raised concerns about Trump’s leadership.
The latest poll marks a reversal of largely positive views of China by Western audiences in the 2000s.
Tensions have also escalated with China over its trade policies, its assertive stance towards neighbors, and its human rights record, including the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkish-speaking people.
