Latest PEW Poll: China is No.1 Economic Power
The Pew Research Center, a Washington-based international polling oganization, released its latest poll on Obama’s international approval rating today. A section dealt with perceptions of US economic power versus the PRC. For the first time, perceptions are now in favour of China. At the same time, China’s overall image slipped in key Western countries and Japan.
It must said, however, that there is a big gulf between perception and reality. China remains a poor developing country compared to developed Western countries. China’s economic prowess aside, per capita GDP puts her in the middle rung of developing countries, even when measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.
Here are the excerpts:
China’s Growing Economic Might
The Obama era has coincided with major changes in international perceptions of American power – especially U.S. economic power. The global financial crisis and the steady rise of China have led many to declare China the world’s economic leader, and this trend is especially strong among some of America’s major European allies. Today, solid majorities in Germany (62%), Britain (58%), France (57%) and Spain (57%) name China as the world’s top economic power.
The belief that China is the world’s top economy has become more common in the last year in other parts of the world as well, including Brazil, Japan, Turkey and Lebanon…Views about the economic balance of power have shifted dramatically over time among the 14 countries surveyed each year from 2008 to 2012. In 2008, before the onset of the global financial crisis, a median of 45% named the U.S. as the world’s leading economic power, while just 22% said China. Today, only 36% say the U.S., while 42% believe China is in the top position.
(However), China’s image has slipped in several countries over the last year. The percentage of Japanese with a favorable opinion of China plummeted from 34% to 15%. In France, China’s favorability ratings dropped from 51% to 40%, and in Britain from 59% to 49%. And since last year, Americans have become less disposed to rate China positively (51% in 2011, 40% now).