TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A new survey has found that China's standing in the world has plummeted dramatically since 2019, while support for defending Taiwan against a Chinese attack has surged.
On Sunday (Oct. 23), The Guardian released the results of a poll published by the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project, which was conducted from Aug. 24 to Sept. 22. Overall, the survey showed a drastic decline in China's international standing since the first poll was implemented in 2019, suggesting that respondents in 20 out of 25 countries polled prefer the U.S. over China when it comes to being the most powerful force in global politics.
Many countries have shown a dramatic drop in pro-China sentiment, with Poland reporting the largest decline from 46% to 24%. Other countries have also recorded substantial downturns in pro-China feelings, such as a drop of:
- 36% to 17% in France
- 30% to 13% in Germany
- 32% to 11% in Denmark
- 41% to 24% in Italy
- 35% to 11% in the UK
- 44% to 23% in India
- 27% to 18% in the U.S.
This negative attitude toward China can be largely attributed to the pandemic, with over 80% considering its origin to be China and up to 40% in many nations suspecting it leaked out of or was created in a laboratory. Another major factor contributing to the souring of sentiment toward China is its human rights abuses against its ethnic minorities and dissidents.
Increasing percentages of respondents believe that China has “put hundreds of thousands of its own citizens, or more, into mass prison camps, without fair and proper legal process." Greece saw an increase of 11% from 18% to 29% of respondents believing China had committed human rights abuses:
- In Spain it rose from 21% to 30%
- 45% to 53% in Denmark
- 46% to 53% in Germany
- 39% to 45% in France
When asked which country they preferred to be the dominant power in politics, the overwhelming majority in most countries chose the U.S. over China. For example:
- In Nigeria, 77% chose the U.S., while 15% opted for China
- 69% to 9% in India
- 48% to 23% in Mexico
- 59% to 11% in Brazil
- 45% to 19% in Greece
In Germany, pro-US sentiment rose to 62% from 43% in 2019, and 67% from 52% in the U.K.
Regarding the defense of Taiwan, in the event of a Chinese invasion, the majority of countries agreed that "other countries should provide help to Taiwan." Kenya led the pack at 63%, followed by Australia at 62%, Nigeria at 60%, Japan at 55%, Sweden 55%, the U.S. 52%, the U.K. 51%, Denmark 51%, and India at 51%.
More respondents in countries such as France, Germany, Spain, and Poland, favored supporting Taiwan than did not.
When it comes to supporting an alliance led by the U.S. in shipping heavy weapons or dispatching soldiers to Taiwan, the support level was relatively low. However, at least 40% of respondents from 10 out of 13 countries polled did support sending intelligence or military advisors and levying heavy economic sanctions against Beijing.
As for backing the use of "hybrid warfare" methods such as cyber-attacks and pro-Taiwan messaging, respondents from Sweden, Poland, the U.K., the U.S., India, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa expressed support. Rogers de Waal, a senior research associate at Jesus College Intellectual Forum and a pollster at YouGov, was cited by the newspaper as saying the results showed there's a "predictable aversion to the prospect of physical confrontation with China, but also considerable support for the cause of Taiwanese defense in principle."
