BBC World pubic opinion: China
China
China continues to enjoy mildly positive ratings worldwide, with 16 out of 26 countries polled this year (excluding China) having mainly positive views of its influence, nine having mainly negative views and one divided. On average China received a positive rating from 42% and a negative rating of 32%. Following a sharp drop (8%) in the previous year, views of China on average have remained largely stable over the past year among the countries polled in all three years.
Positive views of China remain highest in African and some Middle Eastern countries. Majorities in Kenya (70%), the United Arab Emirates (68%), Lebanon (66%), and Nigeria (66%) view China positively. Interestingly, a plurality in Turkey (39%) sees China’s influence as negative. Latin Americans tend to view China somewhat positively, with a majority in Chile (62%), and pluralities in Brazil (46%) and Argentina (32%) having this view, though Mexicans remain divided in their views of China.
The most negative views are found in Europe and the US. Of the nine European countries polled, six view China negatively including majorities in France (59%), Portugal (58%), Italy (58%) and Germany (53%). Among Americans 44 percent see China as mostly negative while 34 percent see it as positive. Britons, however, now lean positive on China (49% positive to 34% negative).
A few dramatic changes occurred over the last year. Britons went from leaning slightly negative to leaning mainly positive with a nine point increase in positive views. Russia went from being divided to leaning positive (up six points). Canadians slightly reversed their downward trend from the previous year, and now a plurality (46%) views China positively, up from 36% the previous year. American views of China were slightly less negative than a year earlier, falling from 53 percent in 2006 to 44 percent today, but positive views held steady at 34 percent.
Average ratings of China in the Asia/Pacific region also remained stable overall, with only slight shifts in views. In terms of individual countries, negative views of China in South Korea dropped from a majority to a plurality (58% to 48%), however positive attitudes fell dramatically in the Philippines (54% to 44%) and India (44% to 35%). Attitudes about China remained steady in other countries in the Asia/Pacific region, with Indonesians (62%) and to some extent Australians (43%) continuing to see China’s influence as positive.
BBC World public opinion: Japan
Japan
Japan remains one of the most positively viewed countries worldwide.On average this year, 54 percent gave Japan a positive rating, while just 20 percent said its influence in the world was mainly negative. Out of 27 countries polled, 24 gave Japan a positive rating, with just two giving it a negative and one divided. Among the 19 countries polled in both 2006 and2007, positive views of Japan slippedslightly by 1 percentage point.
The two exceptions to this positive reputation for Japan continue to be its neighbours China and South Korea, where majorities rate it quite negatively. Views are somewhat leaa negative in China compared to a year ago (71% down to 63% negative) and slightly more negative in South Korea (54% to 58% negative).
While the overall picture remained the same, positive views of Japan increased significantly in Turkey (42% to 51%), France (47% to 55%), Canada (62% to 74%), and GreaBritain (57% to 63%); while positiveviews decreased somewhat in India (48% to 37%) and Brazil (73% to 64%).
In contrast to China and South Korea, other countries in the Asia/Pacific region have quite positive views ofJapan including Indonesians (84%),Filipinos (70%) and Australians (55%). Indians also lean positive(37% positive to 16% negative). Positive views of Japan’s influence in the world remained largely steady among Americans (66%), Russians (56%), Germans (54%), and Italians (52%). Japan is also well-regarded in the Middle East, with majorities in Lebanon (58%), the United Arab Emirates (56%), and Turkey (51%) as well as a plurality in Egypt (33%) having positive views.
