Milan (AsiaNews) – Attitudes towards China and President Xi Jinping are improving worldwide, this according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center. However, in the Asia-Pacific Asia region, attitudes are the most polarised; for example, 90 per cent of respondents in Pakistan view China in a favourable light, while in Japan, 88 per cent view it in unfavourable terms. The study, which involved 45,658 people in 37 countries, was carried out between 8 February and 13 May 2026.
Who sees China as a territorial threat
The most significant survey results concern the perception of China as a threat to a country’s own security. When asked about territorial disputes in the region, the countries geographically closest to China report the highest negative attitude: Japan (88 per cent), South Korea (87 per cent) and the Philippines (86 per cent), results that have been stable for more than a decade, according to Pew. Australia follows with 73 per cent.
In South and Southeast Asia, levels are lower but still high: Indonesia (62 per cent), Sri Lanka (54 per cent), India (57 per cent), Thailand (52 per cent), and Bangladesh (49 per cent). Even in China’s ally, Pakistan, 53 per cent view Beijing as a threat.
Thailand saw the largest increase, from 38 per cent in 2024 to 52 per cent in 2026, unlike Australia and India, where concern dropped over the two-year period, despite the not always friendly relations.
US behaviour probably explains this trend, especially in India, which has sought rapprochement with China after the US imposed tariffs.
When asked in an open question which country represents the main threat, respondents in the Philippines pointed to China more than any other country in the world (76 per cent), followed by Japan (53 per cent) and Australia (52 per cent).
In South Korea, North Korea, not China, is perceived as the main threat by 43 per cent, with Beijing in second place at 32 per cent; likewise, in India, 54 per cent picked Pakistan as the top threat, with China in second place at 21 per cent.
The picture changes radically in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand: here only one respondent in 10 per cent or less chose China as the main threat, coming second after the United States.
Not coincidentally, in these countries, China is cited most often as the country’s first ally, with an overwhelming majority, 75 per cent, in Pakistan.
Divided by income
The report confirms a recent trend in which China is seen in better light among Asia’s middle- and low-income countries (Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand) than in the region’s richer economies (Japan, South Korea, Australia).
Pew’s correlation between GDP per capita and positive attitude towards China, for the 37 countries surveyed, is negative (-0.50): the richer a country, the less favourable are its attitudes towards China.
There is one exception: Singapore. Despite having the highest GDP per capita among the countries surveyed, 73 per cent of respondents look favourably to China. This is probably due to the city-state’s ethnic makeup.
In a previous edition of the survey, Pew found that while Chinese Singaporeans (70-75 per cent of the population) had a positive attitude to China (71 per cent), that was also true for all Singaporeans (59 per cent); thus, ethnicity alone does not explain such high percentages.
It is likely that people who have made Singapore the base for their business look up to China's performance as better than that of the United States, something noted by the local press.
Pakistan’s 90 per cent favourable attitude towards China is followed in Southeast Asia by Malaysia (75 per cent), Indonesia (72 per cent), and Thailand (69 per cent). In the latter, the result is above 50 per cent but represents a drop of 11 points over last year.
Conversely, in Malaysia the figure went from 64 per cent to 75 per cent, and from 65 per cent to 73 per cent in Singapore. In Indonesia it remains stable around 72 per cent, after a slide in past years.
Missing from the report are data from countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, which maintain ambivalent relations with China.
Hanoi, in particular, despite close economic interdependence, maintains a distrustful attitude towards Beijing due to disputes in the South China Sea.
Trust in Xi Jinping and personal freedom
Even in countries that perceive China as a territorial threat, Chinese President Xi Jinping scores high “to do the right thing” in foreign policy among Pakistanis (83 per cent) but low among Japanese (7 per cent).
In Southeast Asia, favourable views remain high: 67 per cent in Singapore, 66 per cent in Malaysia, 62 per cent in Indonesia, and 53 per cent in Thailand.
With 50 per cent, the Philippines appears evenly split on this point, but 42 per cent of respondents consider China a reliable partner while 45 per cent believe Beijing respects the personal freedoms of its citizens.
On this issue, Pakistan stands out once again. About 79 per cent believe the Chinese government respects the rights of its citizens, a view that drops to just 6 per cent in Japan and 10 per cent in South Korea.
In Thailand, this goes up to 58 per cent; in Malaysia, 60 per cent; in Indonesia, 66 per cent. Data far higher than in Western countries, where the percentage of those who believe that Beijing respects personal freedoms almost never exceeds 20 per cent.
Unsurprisingly, among the Asian countries surveyed, India is the most critical on almost all indicators: 33 per cent consider China a reliable partner, 27 per cent think it contributes to global peace and stability, while 25 per cent have confidence in President Xi Jinping.
Generation and political orientation
Age and political orientation add another layer. Almost everywhere (United States, Canada, France, as well as Indonesia, the Philippines, Colombia or Mexico), the young tend to be more favourable towards Beijing.
In South Korea, the exact opposite is the case: only 21 per cent of 18–34-year-olds view China positively, against 35 per cent of over 50s. Trust in Xi Jinping follows the same trend: 8 per cent among the young and 34 per cent among senior citizens.
Thailand reports a similar anomaly regarding trust in the Chinese president, with respondents 50 and older viewing him more positively (60 per cent) than among the young (45 per cent).
The Philippines shows the widest generational gap among Asian countries: 47 per cent of Filipinos aged 18 to 34 have a positive opinion of China vs just 27 per cent of those over 50, and the gap is even wider on trust in Xi, 61 per cent vs 32 per cent.
This should be seen alongside the percentage who see China as the main threat (76 per cent), a view held mostly among older Filipinos, while opinions appear more balanced among the young.
In Indonesia, on the other hand, the generational gap is narrower – 76 per cent among young people vs 64 per cent among people over 50s, just a 12-point gap – a sign that the positive attitude towards Beijing is being passed on from one generation to the other.
With respect to politics, Japan sees no divisions between left, centre and right with China viewed negatively by large majorities (80 per cent, 88 per cent, 90 per cent respectively); even among progressives, no more than 20 per cent has a positive view.
On the other hand, in South Korea’s highly divided society, political affiliation weighs heavily: on the left, 43 per cent have a favourable opinion of China, while just 17 per cent share that view on the right, while trust in Xi Jinping stands at 40 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.
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