More than half of Chinese adults say world should show more respect: survey
- Survey by business intelligence company concludes that the country’s reliance on the global economy will ‘discourage reckless adventuring’
- Relations with the US plunged to a new low following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan at the start of the month
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More than half of Chinese adults believe the country should reject foreign “bullying” and identified the United States as a major offender in this regard, according to a survey.
In the poll of 1,000 people conducted by a business intelligence company Morning Consult, 67 per cent of those questioned said the rest of the world should show China “more respect”.
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It also found that 58 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that the country should stand up to foreign bullying, with 54 per cent saying the US “regularly bullies” China and tries to prevent its rise.
The Chinese foreign ministry said dialogue and communication required sincerity.
China is the largest US trade partner. The US received one-sixth of China’s total exports in 2021, a 27.5 per cent increase on the previous year’s total.
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Wang Huiyao, founder of Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank, said the two countries should avoid “decoupling” because of their strong economic ties but added: “[The US and others] should not form a line against China.”
The Morning Consult report suggested that despite uncertainty in US-China relations, multinational firms could “stay put” because the country’s dependence on the global economy “will discourage reckless adventuring”.
The report noted that China’s recent economic downturn and need to ensure stability ahead of the Communist Party’s national congress from October 16 would provide “guardrails” on geopolitical adventurism.
China’s GDP growth stood at 2.5 per cent in the first half of 2022 and is projected to miss this year’s 5.5 per cent target.
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However, the report still warned multinationals to be cautious about Beijing’s stand on Taiwan after the party congress, in which President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term, as he would have more time to manage the “economic fallout” of a potential conflict over Taiwan.
“For now, companies should stay put and continue to sweat it out, but they would also be wise to engage in contingency planning vis-à-vis Taiwan sooner rather than later,” wrote Scott Moskowitz, a risk analyst for Morning Consult.
