A latest Pew Research survey showed that around 87 per cent of respondents in Australia expressed negative views about China, the highest in the world. Two nations engaged in an intense trade war during PM Scott Morrison's tenure.
Sweden is the most anti-China nation in Europe, where 85 per cent of respondents expressed unfavourable views towards China. The relations between the two nations nosedived in 2018 and never recovered thereafter.
In the US, 83 per cent of respondents see China as an adversary. The country is at loggerheads with China over a slew of issues, including trade, geopolitics and security. The relations between US and China got strained under Donald Trump administration.
Canada is a nation with the fourth highest anti-China sentiments in the world. About 79 per cent of Canadians see China as a hostile nation. Canada has often accused China of meddling in its political affairs and jeopardising the country’s security environment.
With 77 per cent of respondents showing anti-China views, South Koreans are ranked sixth in the world in terms of having the most anti-China views. The relations have soured due to cultural as well as geopolitical tensions stemming from China’s tacit support to North Korea.
In the Netherlands, 77 per cent of respondents express negative views about China. The country has found itself caught in the crossfire of China-US tensions.
While the German government has tried walking a fine line between US and China, the Germans have clearly turned anti-China over the past few years. In 2019, only 56 per cent of respondents would see China negatively, but the number shot up to 76 in 2023.