Chinese Public Supports Trade and Security Cooperation, Still Sees the United States as a Threat

Beginning in the autumn of 2025, a notable shift has taken place in American public opinion toward China. American favorability toward China rose from all-time lows in 2024 to 35 out of 100 in late 2025 and 39 out of 100 in 2026 according to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, still negative but approaching neutrality. In the same report, support for engagement with China over a policy of containment achieved a narrow majority (57%). This survey demonstrates that the Chinese and American publics are now in reasonably close agreement on these points. However, unlike American public opinion of China, Chinese public opinion of America has remained largely static since October 2025. However low American attitudes toward China might still be despite a notable rise, they are climbing to meet Chinese attitudes toward America in all but one category – national security threat perceptions.

Chinese favorability toward the United States is currently 32 out of 100, a one-point decrease from late 2025. Threat perceptions likely account for much of this negative assessment. Nine in ten Chinese view U.S. interference in Taiwan as a national security threat, while three in four Chinese agree U.S. international economic policy is also a major threat. The May summit in Beijing between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to have helped moderate many of these negative views, but the overall effect was a convergence of opinions, not an overall change.

As with the American public’s support for engagement, Chinese remain highly supportive of trade and security cooperation despite high overall negativity toward the United States. These findings should be read as cause for cautious optimism for those seeking more stable U.S.-China relations. It now appears that both publics are open to cooperation in the face of distrust, which creates the opportunity for more substantive results from formal diplomatic relations should both governments come into agreement with their populations.

China Pulse is a twice-annual survey research project measuring Chinese public opinion on international relations conducted by The Carter Center and Emory University. The data in this brief come from a survey fielded between April 16 and June 26, 2026.

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