My TakeA balance between self-belief and a decent respect for world opinion
- China has long complained it lacks ‘discourse power’ while its critics say it has little soft power. They are both right, judging by the latest Pew surveys
The Pew Research Centre is about as close as you get to sensible and objective statistical surveys. For many experts in the field, its work represents the gold standard. So its latest global survey results on the generally negative perception of two dozen countries about China and its foreign policy should not be so easily dismissed.
To be sure, there are the Western news media mafias that go out of their way to spin negative stories about China. But then, bear in mind that much of the world actually recognises the double standard and hypocrisy of the United States, its claims of human rights and democracy while interfering in other countries – often violently and to the detriment of other peoples. And yet, it still beats China in terms of soft power and global image. That is not just food for thought but serious cause for concern, even alarm, especially for self-styled patriots.
Of the 24 countries surveyed, a median of 67 per cent express unfavourable views of China, compared with 28 per cent with positive views. This extends in particular to its foreign policy. Despite such high-profile diplomatic initiatives as brokering rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and issuing a 12-point peace plan for the war in Ukraine, it’s as if they didn’t matter. A median of 71 per cent still think China does not contribute to global peace and stability.
Still, not all is lost. Except for India, middle-income countries generally have a more favourable view of the country. In Kenya, Mexico and Nigeria, a majority even give China a positive rating.
So perhaps that’s par for the course. The rich countries allied with the United States have taken a much more critical view, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and their incessant linking of it to Taiwan. And Beijing is still right to consider itself the champion of the Global South, many of which admire its technologies and its development model and want its finances.
But a second Pew survey is more disturbing. It surveyed seven ethnic minority American groups such as those with heritage from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and China.