The new kid on the international block doesn’t seem to be bothering too many people:
Majorities around the world believe that China will catch up with the United States economically. It’s a prospect that leaves most of those polled—even Americans—unperturbed.
A multinational poll by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org finds that in most countries polled, majorities or pluralities believe the Chinese economy will grow to be as large as the US economy. In no country do most people think this would be mostly negative. Majorities in every country polled believe this is either a good thing or equally positive and negative.
“What is particularly striking is that despite the tectonic significance of China catching up with the US, overall the world public’s response is low key—almost philosophical,” said Steven Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org.
This sanguine reaction is not because China is widely trusted. World Publics do not trust China any more than they trust the United States and distinctly less than they trust Japan.
China’s ascendance certainly brings some intriguing responses in Egypt. Many detest US foreign policy in the region and have little faith that China will be any better, but Washington has so badly burnt its bridges over there that any “new” country is seen… as a welcome change. And people are willing to at least listen to what Beijing has to say. They no longer even do that with the US.