For a decade, U.S.-China rivalry has reshaped the global economy and increased militarism across the Pacific. While American popular opinion has shifted against this trend in favor of cooperation between the world’s largest powers, very little is known about how the Chinese public views the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific.
New research from The Carter Center and Emory University shows that the Chinese citizenry sees the United States as a major national security threat. Yet, majorities also support cooperation on issues like trade, technological innovation, and global security. Further rivalry, therefore, seems to go against popular will in both countries. This spirit of cooperation does not necessarily extend to U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific, however, where Chinese people show roughly equal willingness to resort to diplomacy and military escalation.
Join Atlanta Council on International Relations’ Mark Pierson for a conversation with The Carter Center’s Nick Zeller to discuss what a year of polling shows about how the Chinese people view the world and China’s ever more important place in it. The presentation will be a sneak preview of the formal release of the survey data that will take place mid-September in Washington.
