A recent Gallup poll shows that worldwide approval of China’s global leadership role has surpassed the same rating for the US. The difference, while small, suggests a trend that the two great powers are heading in opposite directions in terms of global approval. China is moving up and the US down.
That the US’ approval rating is down can be directly attributed to President Trump’s ‘America first’ — and to hell with everybody else —approach. It’s no surprise that neighboring Canada and Mexico, which perhaps know the country best, show the biggest slides in approval of the US.
All other traditional allies of the US – namely western European and Latin American countries, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea – also showed declines in US approval of more than 10%.
In fact, America’s global approval rating, now at 30%, has hit an all-time low, below even the strong disapproval evaluations endured by the George W. Bush regime. The same poll indicates that China has now risen behind Germany as the world’s second most-admired power.
It’s appropriate to compare the contrasting approaches of the US and China internationally as a way of understanding this trend and what it might presage for the future.
Trump has not expressed any vision for America or for the world, nor any policy or strategy going forward, other than to increase defense spending. He has said he will make America great again but he hasn’t said anything specific that the public can point to and say “aha, that’s how we are going to get to that greatness.”
President Xi of China, on the other hand, has carefully outlined his domestic and international agenda. Domestically, he wants to leave no one behind and lift those remaining below the poverty line above it. Trump doesn’t care about those living on less than the minimum wage; he just wants to send them back to whichever country they came from.
China has — at last — embarked on pollution abatement and remediation of past environmental damage. Its leadership not only believes in the science behind climate change but is actively taking steps to reverse greenhouses gas emissions.
For all the hostile views of American politician and pundits, China is simply not perceived as a threat elsewhere
To Trump, science is voodoo hocus-pocus and he won’t take any steps that he thinks might hurt the economy. (One might question whether Trump’s grasp of economics is any better than his grasp of science.) Thus he withdrew from the Paris Accord and by default China has taken over the mantle of leadership in combating climate change.
Internationally, Xi has focused on the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) as an important part of China’s diplomatic toolkit. Virtually any country interested in working with China can do so. China has financed and helped construct highways in Central Asia, new railroads in Africa, harbors in Africa, Asia and Europe. A number of projects are also undergoing feasibility studies in Latin America.
These programs are not handouts but come with financing provided by development banks, mostly via competitive bids (albeit China has won most of the projects).
Of course, not all of the completed projects have worked out satisfactorily. The best-known debacle is in Sri Lanka, where Colombo agreed to nearly US$15 billion in Chinese financing for the construction of large infrastructure projects such as a power plant, a new airport, improvements to an existing port, and a new port.
Unfortunately, the completed projects did not boost the economy to the projected level, meaning that government’s receipts could not service the debt incurred. The country development model used to finance Sri Lanka’s projects is the same as the one used by World Bank and Asian Development Bank. In this case, the model didn’t work.
Critics from the west have been quick to label the Sri Lanka experience an example of China exercising its “sharp” power. Since no military force is involved, new terms of belittlement have had to be coined to disparage China’s image.
Notwithstanding what happened in Sri Lanka, others are undaunted by China’s supposedly sharp elbows. Soon a ministerial meeting will take place between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a bloc comprising 33 countries, and China, to explore broader and deeper cooperation.
National leaders of member states involved in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation framework met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang just last week to discuss not only economic cooperation but also how China can provide increased training and scholarships to students from the other member states. In addition to China, the countries involved are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
At the same time, parliamentary leaders from seven Nordic and Baltic countries were calling on President Xi in Beijing, a first for these countries to pay such a visit as a group. They expressed admiration for what China has achieved, its technological innovations, and the potential to cooperate with China as part of the BRI.
Other than countries that see themselves as rivals to China – such as the US, Japan and possibly India – few nations have failed to express a desire to develop closer ties with China. For all the hostile views of American politician and pundits, China is simply not perceived as a threat elsewhere.
Recently, at a public forum at Stanford University, the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was quoted as saying an American military presence around the world is necessary to combat terrorism. If that’s really the case, he should convince his boss in the White House to stop thinking about China as a possible adversary and think about recruiting it as a partner.
China is determined to make friends globally, one project at a time. Its infrastructure expertise could even help Trump in his bid to make America great
China shares a common interest with the US in counterterrorism and possess new weaponry to add to the fight. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with high-quality security cameras, have enabled China to identify fugitives, criminals and terrorists in real time.
The American military could use such systems in combat zones in the Middle East. The US could also use them to monitor passersby around embassies and scan passengers arriving through airport immigration — a much more practical alternative to enacting blanket bans on travelers from selected countries.
There are other developments where the US can profit by learning from China. To maintain its hold on manufacturing, China is developing and relying on robotics and automation. It is not trying to hold on to low-end manufacturing involving low-paid workers; instead, it is developing manufacturing for high-value products that can do without workers on the factory floor.
Somebody should be advising Trump that high-end and high-precision manufacturing is the future — not the labor-intensive, low-value processes he is trying to wrestle back to America.
As a matter of fact, there is so much to be gained from the two powers collaborating rather than resorting to pointless confrontation. Clearly, China is determined to make friends globally, one project at a time. Its infrastructure expertise could even help Trump in his bid to make America great.
China is not seeking to win at the expense of the US – and nor should the US look to do so at the expense of China. If both were to cooperate, tensions would ease and the US would likely see its global approval rising again like China’s.
You can get a good read of the character of a people by the way they treat people in other countries, i.e. Philippines in the late 19th century, Diego Garcia, Nicaragua, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria etc. Bomb away, Americans. Great character!
According to African commentators, China is treating poor and weak African nations fairly and honestly.
http://newafricanmagazine.com/chinas-game-africa/
"China is not seeking to win at the expense of the US"
This is the crucial, defining difference in the way China and the US perceive their self-interest.
Post-Maoist China and post-Stalinist Russia see relations with others as win/win, therefore embrace mutual consent. Hence their emphasis on mutually profitable trade.
The Neocon US Empire sees international relations as a zero sum game, and is determined to win at everyone else’s expense. Hence its emphasis on master/slave relationships with all other nations.
you sound more like an ignorant john smith who does know his right from hisleft. You seem to repeat the rethoric you hear. Trump was not elected by the majority of Americans. He was elected by the Electoral voters, whoi are not the regular citizens. Actually, Clinton won by 2.9 millions voters over Trump. you tell me Is that a democracy? It is not.
Talking about corruption or *surveillance, unjust detentions, hard labour and a bullet in the back of the head, if you are lucky. Torture deaths for you, and your family, if you are unlucky*… hahaha you are such a moron who doesnt know what it is happening on your own country. There is not freedom as it used to be . It is gone since 9/11.
This article is pure propoganda by George doesn’t have a clue Koo. America has always struggled for approval by the rest of the world. That’s nothing new. But in America’s misguided benevolence to the world we have made ourselves vulnerable to China’s BRI strategy which despite Koo’s assertion is in fact designed to be at our expense. Setting up an alternative to western dominated institutions as well as taking over the dominant position in the world’s reserve currency arer goals of the BRI and that is definitely at America’s expense.
Trump has not expressed a vision for America? Apparently George doesn’t have a clue Koo doesn’t know what MAGA represents.
Trump has done more for minorities than anyone since the 60’s. Black unemployment is at a historic low.
Trump’s immigration goals are to be like Canada or Australia for example. He wants merit based immigration. That necessitates a change from our traditional policies. Anytime there is change there are those who want status quo that will criticize the change.
George doesn’t have a clue Koo says China has taken the leadership in fighting climate change. Good luck with that! Since the earth itself is evidence of constant climate change over the millenia, I’m not sure what China hopes to fight in that regard. I do think China should concentrate on fighting air pollution. Seems like there’s plenty of evidence that China has created problems for itself on that issue.
Fake News Koo writes like those reading his garbage don’t have any idea what is happening in the world. Watch out George, that bubble you live in is fragile.
How many muslim immigrants does China allow in per year?
We we have been "scr*wed" choose a Yiddish word to describe that. Since the Jakson-Vanik agreement over 500 thousand Jewish Russian refugees came into the US beginning in the 1980’s. Some believe they are altering America’s domestic and foreign policy.
Free speech is dead, right to privacy is dead, 10th amendment is dead. When the Constittution starts dying, intolerance increases the only thing left in America is making money. Making money is common across the world. There is nothing special in that.
You would have come across as legit if you had left out the "surveillance " part, for the U.S. has one of the greatest surveillance systems of its own population of any country on earth…
Trust me those hands reaching for American dollars are getting less and less, because with those dollars come stipulations that cost those countries everything they have including their first born..
After I made it through the first few paragraphs of this bloviating article, I gave up.
The short version of this would be: any statesman who unashamedly puts his own country’s interests first will not be liked by envious foreign nitpickers. Why is that a surprise?
On the other hand, a statesman who travels around the world bowing, scraping and apologizing for this own country to foreign tyrants may gain scattered applause from the media. But that applause only hides the contempt in which he is held abroad.
"Trump is doing what he thinks best, was voted in by a majority of US voters, and that is how it goes, in a democratic system."
Hillary Clinton got 3 million MORE votes than Trump, but that’s the way it goes in the US system, which was DESIGNED to be undemocratic.
Some of the major factors that are alienating America from the world:
-Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital got universal disaproval in the UN. What is worse is that any dissenting voices within America is quickly silenced. I cnnot post a comment criticizing this issue without having it immediately removed.
Now there is a list of issues "Free speech" does not cover, the highest is any criticizism of Jews and Israel.
-Trumps derogatory comment on Africa. The backlash from Africa and around the world is only equalled by the Left’s strongest protests.
-The "America First" platform of Trump was not meant to be a platform to show hate against other nations, but It is turning out that way among the people. Language used on other nations is extremely harsh.
-The way Trump has dealt with the immigrant issue, Illegal immigrants and refugees lacks basic civility, respect and handled in a manner to demean, humiliate and denegrate. Mexico and Canada feel the full brunt of this gutter style politics. For a nation of immigrants It is truly an ugly thing to do.
Historically major powers that dominate acted thus. Notions of justice, morality etc., have always been fluid according to circumstance and culture. America acted likewise. This is planet Earth no one has clean hands. How China dominates as well as global reaction to it’s dominance is unknown,
No one should be surprised by this change in approval rate. The Russian popularity will also increase. No one believes in a NY realtor as president! While Chinese leaders (mainly engineers) are trying to be constructive, the USA politicians are trying to start more stupid wars, even with their so-called friends like Turkey. The only thing US wants to do is to sell more and more arms and become rich! The world knows better than this.
What a lame article————DUDE———–this is the Chinese Century——-the last Century was the American Century———-let us compare President Donald John Trump to the 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama and the 43rd President, George Walker Bush————give me a break——–and guess what, the citizens of this country that voted for President Trump don’t care what so called leaders like Merkel, Macron, and May think———-because in my humble opinion it is a JOKE to call them leaders. One thing is for sure President Trump knows President Xi ia a LEADER and that is why he is going to Davos——to counter the rise of the Middle Kingdom————the problem for the West is they have not come to grips with the rise of the Middle Kingdom———-once they figure it out———-it will be okay!!
You can get a good read on the spirit/character of a people by how they treat animals.
‘Nuff said.
Worldwide disapproval of wussy, pampered, journoid menials.
Trump is doing what he thinks best, was voted in by a majority of US voters, and that is how it goes, in a democratic system.
Disapproval, in many totalitarian regimes, like CCP, NK, and others, means, surveillance, unjust detentions, hard labour and a bullet in the back of the head, if you are lucky. Torture deaths for you, and your family, if you are unlucky.
Get real.
Face it, we have all been Shanghaied in some way by now
Got to love all that disapproval from the world. Especially when the world has their hands out for those American dollars.