PEW RESEARCH CENTER – April 12, 2021- By J.J. Moncus and Laura Silver
Editor’s note : Propaganda is efficient!
Asia appears to be top of mind for the Biden administration when it comes to foreign policy. Japan and South Korea were the first two international destinations of Cabinet officials after Joe Biden’s inauguration as U.S. president. Looking to coordinate in the face of China’s efforts to assert itself in the region, the administration initiated a first-of-its-kind “Quad” summit with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan. The United States also held a high-level, in-person meeting with key Chinese officials in mid-March.
As Americans eye the Asia-Pacific region, they see a mix of friends and some foes, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted Feb. 1-7, 2021. Asked to rate their feelings toward four countries in the region on a “feeling thermometer,” where a 0 indicates the coldest and most negative rating possible, 50 indicates a neutral rating, and 100 indicates the warmest and most positive rating possible, Americans generally have warm feelings toward Japan. They give the country an average rating of 59 – largely unchanged since 2018, when the country had an average rating of 61. India receives a more neutral rating of 48 – also largely unchanged from its average rating of 51 in 2018. How we did this
But North Korea and China receive very negative ratings. In the case of North Korea, Americans are steadfastly cold toward the country: It receives an average rating of 21 this year, which is unchanged from 2018.
What is new is that strongly negative views of China have grown sharply. Whereas the country received an average rating of 42 in 2018, this has dropped sharply to 28 this year. The same survey found negative views toward China across a range of other measures. These shifts come amid concerns about bilateral economic relations, criticism of China’s role in the outbreak of COVID-19 and widespread recognition of China’s human rights abuses.
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