Clinton more popular than Trump in China, Pew survey finds

A survey released on Wednesday found that Hillary Clinton is better liked than Donald Trump in China, where the US presidential election – and the criticisms both candidates have made of Chinese policy – have generated intense attention.

Clinton was seen favourably by 37 per cent of respondents in a survey in mainland China conducted by the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Centre, while just 22 per cent saw Trump favourably. At the same time, 35 per cent of respondents saw Clinton unfavourably, while 40 per cent had an unfavourable impression of Trump.

The survey found that Chinese interest in the United States comes with strong scepticism. More than 80 per cent of respondents said they considered the US to be a threat to China.

While the Pew survey has no bearing on the US election, it offers a rare glimpse of the opinions of ordinary Chinese, whose views can be hard to discern due to China’s censorship of the media and social media channels.

US President Barack Obama was seen favourably by 52 per cent of respondents, up from 31 per cent in a similar survey in 2013 but still below 62 per cent shortly after he took office in 2009.

The next president will have to work with China on several important fronts. On issues like climate change, both countries have found some common ground and jointly announced last month that they would join an international agreement to cut carbon emissions. On others, like the South China Sea and North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, Beijing and Washington are deeply divided.