Shi is the problem, not the people of China

Xi Jinping’s popularity around the world is declining. However, people still prefer China, for its economic strength, without a doubt.

With each passing day and the added pressure of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more countries are assessing their relationship with China.
It seems that China is no longer the preferred partner for tango on the world political stage. Indeed, China’s slips can lead to the downfall of nations dancing with this invisible dragon.
I remember analyzing a Pew Research Center survey in China in 2019. The study is titled “Attitude toward China.” The survey found that people around the world are divided in their views on China.
The survey found that an average of 40% in the 34 countries surveyed have a favorable view of China, while an average of 41% have an unfavorable view of China. However, China got the most positive opinions from Russia, Nigeria and Lebanon, while it got the most negative opinions from Japan, Sweden and Canada.
The most interesting data was that it was observed that the higher the level of perceived corruption in a country, as defined by Transparency International, the more positively that country viewed China.
Interestingly, investment from China correlates poorly with China’s views of the countries studied. Despite hundreds of dollars being poured into the Belt and Road Initiative, particularly in emerging economies, the aspect of China-financed capital investment or construction contracts in a country correlates poorly with that country’s public views of China. Indonesia, for example, has received more than $47 billion in capital and venture investment from China since 2005, but attitudes toward China are evenly divided, 36% in favour, and 36% unfavorable.
After Covid-19, most countries of the world no longer prefer China, but rather tolerate it.
The Pew Research Center’s “Attitude Toward China” survey, conducted in 14 countries in 2020, found that opinions on China have turned negative in recent years in many advanced economies, and unfavorable opinions have increased over the past year. Today, a majority in both countries surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of China. In Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, South Korea, Spain and Canada, negative opinions are at an all-time high.
The Pew report showed that negative views of China grew the most in Australia, with 81% now saying they view the country as unfavorable, up 24 percentage points from last year. In the UK, nearly three-quarters of the country now sees it in a negative light – up 19 points. And in the United States, negative opinions about China have increased by nearly 20 percentage points since President Donald Trump took office, up 13 points from last year.
The investigation further found that the rise in unfavorable opinions was due to widespread criticism of China’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. On average, 61% of the countries surveyed felt that China had handled the outbreak poorly.
Rejection of China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised questions about people’s trust in Chinese President Xi Jinping. An average of 78% in the survey said they had little or no confidence in Jinping to do the right thing in global affairs, including at least seven in 10 in every country surveyed. The survey also highlighted that distrust of Xi Jinping was historically high in every country for which trend data was available during the survey. In most countries, the percentage who say they don’t or don’t trust him has increased by ten percent since last year. In the Netherlands, for example, half of last year did not trust Xi, and today 70% say the same – an increase of 17 percentage points.
But China is not completely out of the game, at least compared to the United States. Like I said, they are not favored but tolerated.
The Pew survey shows that visualizing how China is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic provides an overview of people across China. The report further revealed that those who believe that China has done something badly when dealing with Covid-19 are more likely to have an unfavorable view of the country – by at least 20 percentage points in each country surveyed. In Italy, for example, those who say that China is doing poorly in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic are twice as likely to report an unfavorable picture of China: 82% versus 41%, respectively. In Europe, many see China as the world’s largest economic power than the United States.
Therefore, with the world’s economies preparing for a downturn next year, amid the Covid-19 epidemic, including the economies of the United States, Japan and European countries, the Chinese economy is expected to achieve positive growth. Most of the countries surveyed described China as the world’s largest economic power. The United States is second only to China.
The problem for China is not China, but China, led by President Xi Jinping.
Distrust of President Xi has reached unprecedented levels in all countries. In the past year in particular, mistrust has grown strongly; Nine out of 12 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center have seen a doubling in the percentage of people who say they don’t trust anything. In Australia, for example, 54% had little or no confidence in Xi in 2019, and now 79% say the same, up 25 percentage points.
While the 2019 and 2020 Pew Research Center surveys focused on China’s relationship with other global countries, the most recent Pew Research Center survey published in June 2021 showed that advanced economies in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region are few. I think the Chinese government respects the personal freedoms of its people. In 15 of the 17 years surveyed by the Pew Research Center, eight in ten or more hold this view. This significance is also located almost everywhere in or near historical monuments, particularly in countries such as Italy, South Korea, Greece, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom since 2018.
The 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that:
* Few would trust Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the right thing in world affairs. These negative reviews are about at or near historical landmarks in most of the places surveyed.
In the Asia-Pacific region, opinions differ on whether it is important to try to advance human rights in China, even if it hurts economic relations with China, or whether it is important to prioritize strengthening economic ties. Lu does not intend to address human rights issues. While majorities in New Zealand (80%), Australia (78%) and Japan (54%) prioritize the promotion of human rights, as well as pluralism in Taiwan (45%), majorities in South Korea and Singapore prioritize the promotion of human rights – strengthening economic ties . Those who favor economic relations with the United States over China are likely to support the promotion of human rights.
* Europeans approve of China’s approach to Covid-19 much more than those in the Asia-Pacific region. Europeans also highly value strong economic ties with the United States over strong ties with China, while the peoples of Asia and the Pacific are more divided.
*In both Taiwan and Singapore, ethnic and national identity plays a role in attitudes. In Taiwan, those who view Chinese and Taiwanese (not just Taiwanese) tend to favor economic relations with China over the United States, and have a more favorable view of the great power, among other differences. In Singapore, similar differences exist between ethnic Chinese and Malays or Indians.
Older people tend to be more critical of China than younger people — whether that’s China’s acceptance, assessments of President Xi, assessments of China’s handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, or opinions about whether China protects its personal liberties. Residents are respected. Older adults also tend to prefer economic ties with the United States over China over younger adults. Patterns are sometimes reversed in South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, with older adults giving a more positive assessment of China on some questions.
Recently, Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Chinese officials that it is important for China to tell its story in a positive way. “It is necessary to make friends, unite and win a majority, and constantly expand the circle of friends, when it comes to international public opinion.”
He went on to explain that China should be open and confident, but also modest and humble in its communication with the world. “China only wants the happiness and happiness of the Chinese people.”
Xi Jinping’s popularity around the world is declining. However, people still prefer China, for its economic strength, without a doubt.
The people of China are not the problem of the countries of the world. Xi Jinping and his dictatorial agenda in China and outside China are a source of great concern.

Savio Rodriguez is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Goa Chronicle.