TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Most Europeans would like to stay out of a potential U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan, according to a poll released on Wednesday (June 7) by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Around 62% said they want to remain neutral if a war broke out between Washington and Beijing. Twenty-three percent said they would like their country to support the U.S., 4.7% said they support China, and 10% said they do not know.

Conducted in April, the poll involved 16,168 respondents from 11 EU member states, including Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.

The survey found that Sweden, Poland, Denmark, and the Netherlands are the countries where the U.S. is likely to secure more support, but even in these countries, majorities would favor neutrality.

This is despite the fact that Europeans recognize the threat of China in terms of its economic influence. The European public appears not to share the view that NATO’s eastern flank and the Indo-Pacific theaters are closely linked, according to the poll.

The survey also indicated a wish by the European countries to rely less on the U.S. for security guarantees. The results are in line with French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial remarks during a state visit to China in April that Europe must not “get caught up in crises that are not ours.” He also stressed the need for the “strategic autonomy” of Europe lest it becomes “America’s follower.”