Negative sentiment toward China, which shot up around the world in 2020 after Beijing’s mishandling of the emergence of COVID-19, has remained high because of human-rights concerns, a new report says.
In a Pew Research survey spanning 19 countries, including Canada, a median of 68 per cent of respondents said they had an unfavourable view of China. Negative views have remained at or near historic highs since 2020, even increasing in some countries.
In Canada, some 74 per cent of respondents said they held an unfavourable view of China, the highest level since the survey began in 2002. Negative sentiment was strongest in Japan, at 87 per cent, while only 34 per cent of Singaporeans felt the same.
Pew said unfavourable opinions of China, while initially boosted by the pandemic, have remained high because of “concerns about China’s policies on human rights,” which a majority of respondents ranked as a greater concern than Beijing’s military power, economic competitiveness or alleged interference in their country’s domestic politics.
“Adults in Greece, the United Kingdom and the United States have become significantly more critical of China over the past year,” the report says. “Unfavourable views of China have gone up by 21 percentage points in Poland and Israel and 15 points in Hungary, which were all last surveyed in 2019. Belgium stands as the only country where fewer people hold an unfavourable view of China this year than last year.”
In most of Europe and North America, a majority of people said it was more important to defend human rights in dealings with Beijing, no matter the economic consequences. Those on the ideological left “are particularly likely to favour promoting human rights compared with those on the ideological right,” despite the fact many conservative politicians in Canada and elsewhere are leading critics of Beijing.
Promote human rights or strengthen
economic ties with China
Percentage who say their country should ...
Prioritize strengthening economic relations over addressing human rights issues
Prioritize promoting human rights over strengthening economic relations
Canada
19%
76%
U.S.
28
68
Sweden
12
87
Britain
83
14
Germany
20
78
Netherlands
20
78
Spain
20
75
Greece
24
73
Italy
72
23
Belgium
70
25
France
30
65
Poland
56
24
Hungary
44
37
Israel
57
29
Australia
22
76
Japan
34
56
Malaysia
44
55
Singapore
60
38
South Korea
62
36
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Promote human rights or strengthen
economic ties with China
Percentage who say their country should ...
Prioritize strengthening economic relations over addressing human rights issues
Prioritize promoting human rights over strengthening economic relations
Canada
19%
76%
U.S.
28
68
Sweden
12
87
Britain
83
14
Germany
20
78
Netherlands
20
78
Spain
20
75
Greece
24
73
Italy
72
23
Belgium
70
25
France
30
65
Poland
56
24
Hungary
44
37
Israel
57
29
Australia
22
76
Japan
34
56
Malaysia
44
55
Singapore
60
38
South Korea
62
36
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Promote human rights or strengthen economic ties with China
Percentage who say their country should ...
Prioritize strengthening economic relations over addressing human rights issues
Prioritize promoting human rights over strengthening economic relations
Canada
19%
76%
U.S.
28
68
Sweden
12
87
Britain
83
14
Germany
20
78
Netherlands
20
78
Spain
20
75
Greece
24
73
Italy
72
23
Belgium
70
25
France
30
65
Poland
56
24
Hungary
44
37
Israel
57
29
Australia
22
76
Japan
34
56
Malaysia
55
44
Singapore
60
38
South Korea
62
36
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
In Canada, 76 per cent of respondents said they agreed that the government should “try to promote human rights in China, even if it harms economic relations.”
Despite broadly unfavourable opinions of China in the survey, majorities in more than half the countries felt relations between Beijing and their own governments were in good shape. In the Netherlands, for example, 75 per cent of respondents held a negative view of China but 65 per cent thought bilateral ties were still strong.
Perceived relations with China
Percentage who say current relations between
their country and China are …
Bad
Good
No answer
Australia
2
83%
15
Japan
81
17
2
South Korea
74
26
U.S.
70
28
2
Canada
43
3
54
Sweden
2
50
48
Britain
42
55
3
Germany
41
54
5
Netherlands
32
65
3
France
32
61
7
Italy
22
73
5
Belgium
22
67
11
Israel
7
19
74
Spain
18
73
9
Poland
17
62
21
Malaysia
15
84
1
Singapore
9
90
1
Hungary
82
10
8
Greece
7
87
6
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Perceived relations with China
Percentage who say current relations between their country
and China are …
Bad
Good
No answer
Australia
2%
83%
15%
Japan
81
17
2
South Korea
74
26
U.S.
70
28
2
Canada
43
3
54
Sweden
2
50
48
Britain
42
55
3
Germany
41
54
5
Netherlands
32
65
3
France
32
61
7
Italy
22
73
5
Belgium
22
67
11
Israel
7
19
74
Spain
18
73
9
Poland
17
62
21
Malaysia
15
84
1
Singapore
9
90
1
Hungary
82
10
8
Greece
7
87
6
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Perceived relations with China
Percentage who say current relations between their country and China are …
Bad
Good
No answer
Australia
2%
83%
15%
Japan
81
17
2
South Korea
74
26
U.S.
70
28
2
Canada
43
3
54
Sweden
2
50
48
Britain
42
55
3
Germany
41
54
5
Netherlands
32
65
3
France
32
61
7
Italy
22
73
5
Belgium
22
67
11
Israel
7
19
74
Spain
18
73
9
Poland
17
62
21
Malaysia
15
84
1
Singapore
9
90
1
Hungary
82
10
8
Greece
7
87
6
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Among European Union member states, the Netherlands was the largest importer of goods from China last year, and Dutch companies are closely entwined with Chinese production chains. Despite this, the country’s parliament was the first in Europe to pass a motion declaring the treatment of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region a genocide, something Beijing described as an “outright lie.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy voted against that measure. Speaking after the United States banned imports this month from Xinjiang owing to accusations of forced labour in the region, Mr. Rutte said cutting trade ties with Beijing would not “help anyone in Hong Kong or the Uyghurs.”
Respondents were more likely to see bilateral relations negatively if there was a sense that China is interfering in their country’s domestic politics, Pew said. While a median of only 26 per cent of respondents thought this was a major issue, “it is seen as particularly severe in places like South Korea, Australia, the U.S. and Japan – the four places where a majority says relations are in bad shape.”
Issues with China
Percentage who say each issue is a very serious
problem for their country
Human rights
Military power
China's economic
competitiveness
China’s interference in their
country’s domestic politics
10
20
30
40
50
60%
Australia
South Korea
Japan
U.S.
Netherlands
Spain
Canada
Germany
France
Italy
Belgium
Greece
Sweden
Britain
Malaysia
Poland
Singapore
Hungary
Israel
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Issues with China
Percentage who say each issue is a very serious problem
for their country
Human rights
Military power
China's economic
competitiveness
China’s interference in their
country’s domestic politics
10
20
30
40
50
60%
Australia
South Korea
Japan
U.S.
Netherlands
Spain
Canada
Germany
France
Italy
Belgium
Greece
Sweden
Britain
Malaysia
Poland
Singapore
Hungary
Israel
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
Issues with China
Percentage who say each issue is a very serious problem for their country
Human
rights
Military
power
China's economic
competitiveness
China’s interference in their
country’s domestic politics
10
20
30
40
50
60%
Australia
South Korea
Japan
U.S.
Netherlands
Spain
Canada
Germany
France
Italy
Belgium
Greece
Sweden
Britain
Malaysia
Poland
Singapore
Hungary
Israel
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTRE
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James Griffiths