Tourism and technology may hold key to boosting China’s public image in the US

China could improve its image in the United States by highlighting areas such as tourism and technology and positioning itself as a responsible major power, a survey has concluded.

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou said that although concepts such as “decoupling” and “de-risking” had been increasingly prominent in media coverage of China, this had not entirely wiped away positive impressions of the country.

When evaluating China’s strengths on a scale of 1 to 5, the respondents placed global influence at the top with a score of 4.38, followed by achievements in science and technology at 3.59 and higher education at 3.56.

The survey found many respondents believed China was contributing to global peace, stability and governance, prompting the researchers to argue that Beijing should reinforce its image as a responsible major power by highlighting its role in United Nations peacekeeping missions, fighting climate change, and providing aid.

It also emphasised the need to directly address “misunderstandings” and “scepticism” in international media through greater transparency and openness.

The researchers also noted that the American public had “a high level of interest” in issues such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet.