American views of China improve before Xi-Trump summit, Pew report finds

As Chinese President Xi Jinping makes his high-profile state visit to the US, Americans’ views of China remain negative but have improved in recent years, according to a new Pew Research Centre report.

Using a “feeling thermometer” ranging from zero, the coldest rating, to 100, the warmest, Pew found that Americans gave China an average rating of 37, up from 28 in 2021.

“The [Xi-Trump] meeting comes as Americans’ feelings about China have warmed in recent years, even though they remain cold overall,” Pew researchers Laura Silver and Laura Clancy wrote.

The share of US adults giving China a warm rating, from 51 to 100, has risen from 11 per cent in 2021 to 19 per cent today. Meanwhile, the share with a neutral rating of exactly 50 has increased from 20 per cent to 27 per cent, while those with a cold rating of zero to 49 have fallen from 68 per cent to 54 per cent.