US-China relations: How does the US public view China?

US-China relations: How does the US public view China?

5/6/21 8:00PM

This week the United States' top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, strongly rejected the idea that the US and China were entering a "cold war" in an interview with the Financial Times — despite tensions between the two countries remaining elevated.

‍China marches on

‍Whether Blinken is right or not, China's economy is marching on, and is likely to become the world's largest in the next 8-10 years, surpassing the US. That economic progress all but guarantees China's role as a global superpower for likely much of the rest of the 21st Century, and it means the US-China relationship is arguably the most important of any two countries in the world.

For Biden, and future US Presidents, walking the tightrope between showing strength on important issues such as human rights, trade and cyber security and engaging amiably has become more difficult, as US public opinion has shifted. Data from YouGov reveals that in 2017 roughly 10% of respondents polled would identify China as an "enemy" of the US. Today that number is closer to 35% — seemingly a result of the trade war that started in 2018 and also the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The most watched soccer match in US history got less than a third of the views the Super Bowl did

Between a top-spot finish in the group stage, a sweeping performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and the president’s controversial intervention, Monday evening’s USMNT game against Belgium had, to put it lightly, shaped up into a box-office clash.

And though the US players’ performance on the pitch might not have lived up to the high drama off it, American soccer fans certainly showed up. According to early estimates, the 4-1 defeat against Belgium was the most watched soccer telecast in US history, hauling some 40 million viewers on average across the coverage on Fox and Telemundo.

That may be a record tally in the US for the sport that much of the world calls some variant of “football” — besting the 36.2 million who tuned in to watch the team’s previous knock-out match — but it’s still peanuts in comparison to the sport that shares the same name in the States.

World cup viewers chart — Sherwood News

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