Pew survey shows global trust in US plummeting under Trump
A new Pew Research Center poll of 45,000 people in 37 countries finds China is now viewed more favourably than the United States in 25 nations. More respondents have confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping than in US President Donald Trump in 22 countries, reflecting a sharp decline in American g
A newly released survey by the Pew Research Center, covering 45,000 people across 37 countries, shows a dramatic shift in global opinion. For decades the United States led the respected think tank's rankings, but the latest report finds that China is now seen more positively than the US in 25 countries. More respondents expressed confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the right thing regarding world affairs than in US President Donald Trump in 22 countries.
The report's author, Hong Kong senior counsel Cheng Huan, argues that trust in the United States, built over 250 years, is being rapidly eroded. He attributes the decline to Mr Trump's policies, including the loss of European political friendship, a war against Iran he describes as unnecessary and unwinnable, the demonisation of China, upheaval in global trade, and attempts to bully Canada. Mr Huan writes that Mr Trump is now undermining the dollar, America's greatest asset, and that China is the primary beneficiary of these developments.
Mr Huan notes that other nations are establishing new allegiances as they observe America's diminished status. He cites Canada's refusal to be intimidated by Mr Trump as an example. Domestically, he says the United States is backsliding, with corruption, cronyism, widening inequality, democratic gridlock, and the undermining of judicial independence making the American model less appealing.
Historians quoted in the piece argue that America's decline is part of a historical cycle, noting that the US is still responding to the 9/11 attacks 25 years ago, with wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Iran. Mr Huan writes that the dollar is wobbling in response to Mr Trump's erratic behaviour, including a threat to use armed force to compel countries to buy US Treasury securities. He quotes Mr Trump as saying: 'We have many types of intervention ... The ultimate intervention is our military. And, uh, if we have to use that, we will.'
According to the article, China has halved its holdings of US Treasuries from US$1.2 trillion in 2017 to US$630 billion today. Holland, France, and Germany, along with other nations, have been repatriating their gold from storage in the United States. Mr Huan concludes that nations, companies, and private investors are diversifying assets and reducing exposure to the US dollar, a trend he suggests may lead to a more stable global system.
