Negative perceptions of China have soared over the past year across many advanced economies, reaching all-time highs in a number of countries including the UK, Germany and Australia, a Pew Research Center poll published last week has found.
The Spanish held similar views to their Mediterranean cousins, as 63% of Spaniards held a negative view.Australia's strongly negative view on China – 81% held this view – is notable, since the figure represents a change of heart among Australians.
Those in the US were most likely to have changed their mind over the last year, with 27% of people changing a positive opinion into a negative one.Nevertheless, Xi was not the least popular world leader.
In most countries surveyed, the people had more faith in the Chinese leader than they did in America's President Donald Trump .
For example, 78% of Germans had no confidence in the Chinese premiere, while 89% said the same of Trump.Overall, on average across the nations surveyed, 83% of respondents had no confidence in Trump, 78% had no confidence in Xi, and 73% had no confidence in Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
By contrast, a majority of 76% did have confidence in Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, and 62% had a favorable opinion of France's President Emmanuel Macron.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was more divisive: 48% said they did have confidence in him, against 46% who said they did not. »