A new global poll by Pew Research Center reveals that for the first time in history, China is viewed more favourably than the United States, with Chinese President Xi Jinping seen more positively than US leader Donald Trump in a majority of countries surveyed.
Global Shift in Favour
Out of 36 countries and territories polled, 25 view America less favourably than China. Only six nations—Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Japan, and Israel—still hold a more positive view of the US. The survey, conducted from February to May 2026, captured opinions during a period when the US and Israel were engaged in conflict with Iran in the Middle East.
Major European countries including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands have all shifted their opinions on the world's two largest economies. Notably, only one in 10 Europeans now see the US as an ally, according to the data.
Dramatic Changes in Allied Nations
Canada, a traditional US ally, has seen a sharp reversal. In the new survey, only 33% of Canadians have positive views of the US, down from 57% in 2023. Over the same period, favourable opinions of China rose from 14% to 44%. This shift coincides with Trump's 2025 tariffs on Canadian goods and his comments suggesting Canada could become the “51st state.”
Among state leaders, Xi Jinping is viewed more favourably than Donald Trump in 22 of the 36 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Mexico. However, many respondents expressed low confidence in both leaders.
First Time China Leads
Laura Silver, associate director of Global Attitudes Research at Pew, noted that in the two decades Pew has tracked global opinions, this survey marks the first time China has outperformed the US. “There was just an actual relationship between the outbreak of the [Iran] war and the sense that the US is just not contributing to peace and stability and that people have less confidence in Donald Trump,” she said.
Silver also attributed Trump’s low approval to his demands to control Greenland, the US rendition of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and the handling of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. China, meanwhile, benefited from the fading memory of the Covid-19 pandemic and appears to have gained from comparison with the US. “By comparison, we know that China is seen to be a more reliable partner in many places. It’s more likely to be seen to contribute to global peace and stability,” Silver concluded.
Chinese Embassy Response
The Chinese embassy in Washington said Pew’s latest polling “demonstrates that China’s governance achievements and development progress are widely recognised.”
US Domestic Views and Corruption Index
Among Americans, views of the US and China have converged. In 2023, about 6 in 10 Americans held positive views of the US, with a 32-percentage-point spread in Washington’s favour. Now, China and the US are viewed similarly by Americans. However, the US still outranks China on global corruption indexes. In the 2025 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the United States scored 64 out of 100, while China scored 43.
