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Monday, March 31, 2008

Sino-US relations in the eyes of Chinese: Survey

March 04, 2005, People's Daily Online
Taken from: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200503/04/eng20050304_175552.html

How Chinese view the United States? How they regard Americans and the Sino-US relations? What views Americans hold of China, the Chinese and the Sino-US relations? These are questions of great concern to the diplomatic and academic circles in China and the US. Much press coverage has been devoted to the views of Chinese, but they often stop short of making studies based on surveys. Around the Chinese traditional Lantern Festival the Global Times, with the help of the Institute of American Studies of the CASS and professional polling firms, conducted a public poll in the strict sense in five Chinese major cities.
How Chinese view the United States?

On Feb.27 all the survey data have been collected, which lead to the following results:
Among the citizens in these cities those who felt satisfied but not particularly, satisfied and very satisfied accounted for 51.9 percent, 18 percent and 1 percent respectively. Altogether they accounted for 70.9 percent.

Those who liked Americans but not particularly and those who liked Americans made up the majority with the rates at 52.9 percent and 13.2 percent respectively totaling 66.1 percent.
49.2 percent of the surveyed believed the US was the rival of China. In the meantime, those who regarded the US as a friendly country, a model of imitation and a cooperation partner accounted for 10.4 percent, 11.7 percent and 25.6 percent respectively totaling 47.7 percent.

As many as 56.7 percent of the surveyed believed the US was actually containing China.
60.5 percent believed the main issue that was going to shape the Sino-US relations was the Taiwan question.

Of the options for dissatisfaction with the US government greater people selected "selling weapons to Taiwan" than any other options, about 37.6 percent. 31.7 percent selected "waging the war in Iraq" and 7.9 percent selected "strengthening military ties with Japan".
Those who believed China and the US would or would probably have clash in the future on account of the Taiwan question represented 11.9 percent and 41.2 percent respectively. They together made up more than half. However, about 40 percent believed the possibility to be small or nonexistent.

The surveyed generally held negative attitude toward the US' repeatedly raising issues on China's human rights. 49.3 percent of the surveyed believed the US action to be effort at disturbing China's stability. 10.4 percent thought that it was smearing China's image. 19.1 percent believed the US didn't understand the situation in China. The three groups, together, amounted to 78.8 percent. Only 15.7 percent of the surveyed said the US was promoting democratic construction in China.

50.7 percent of the surveyed believed there had been no major changes in the Sino-US relations in recent years and those who believed the Sino-US relations to be growing good in recent years accounted for 27.3 percent.

Of the surveyed those who believed the development of the Sino-US relations sped up China's economic development and promoted China's opening up and reform accounted for 61.92 percent and 49.31 percent respectively.

Respectively 45.0 percent and 29.4 percent of the surveyed expected the Sino-US relations in President Bush's second term to remain the same or improve more or less. But there were also 11.7 percent who believed the relations would deteriorate.
More than half of the surveyed believed the influence of the American culture on China was half good and half bad. The proportion was 55.7 percent while 22 percent believed the influence to be positive.

Of the surveyed greater proportion admired the scientific and technological development in the US - 43.7 percent, than that who did its sound legal system and affluence, which were 20.9 percent and 17.9 percent respectively.

Among Chinese urban residents many held positive opinion on the economic exchange between the two countries. Those believing that the exchange promoted political exchange between the two countries and enhanced friendship between the two peoples accounted for 46.18 percent and 46.09 percent respectively.

49.8 percent of the surveyed had no discrimination toward American products on the Chinese market believing that it doesn't matter which country a brand belongs to as long as the product is of good quality and has excellent service. 25.5 percent welcomed American products on the Chinese market believing them to benefit both countries.

31.9 percent of the surveyed could accept cultural products from the US, but believed them to be far away from their ordinary life. Moreover, 27.5 percent expressed their admiration of American cultural products believing many of them to be fine works. Together the two groups who could accept American cultural products made up 59.4 percent.

Apart from this there was also a group of important statistics. 62.7 percent of Chinese urban residents understood the US through mass media. Another 20.7 percent got their impression of the US mainly through American movies. Only 3.7 percent learned of the US through direct contact with the Americans.

Public-opinion poll is a good start

The survey on public opinion of the Sino-US relations was conducted by the Global Times in five major cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chongqing. Ding Gang, deputy director of the International Department of People's Daily, who had been stationed in the US as a journalist and Dr. Li Xianggang with the Institute of American Studies of the CASS, as well as staff of the Global Times put great effort and time into the design of the survey. Director of the American Studies Institute Wang Jixi also made input to the final design of the survey. There were altogether 22 questions on the survey and the Huicong Research Center was responsible for the execution of the survey.

The method of the survey was random sample followed by house-to-house interviews by professional personnel. The survey together collected valid samples of 1,175 persons. The surveying company sent nearly a hundred professionals to the five cities. The interview in each household took about half an hour. Experts believe the survey to be scientific and objective after they learned the whole process of the survey.

Having carefully read the survey results Ding Gang believes the survey conducted so seriously and so scientifically on public opinion of the Sino-US relations to be the first of its kind. Judging from the results the survey reflects, with considerable objectivity, the contemporary Chinese public's general opinion of the US. In the US there are a lot polls on the Americans' opinions of China, said Ding Gang. Authoritative polling firms, think tanks and the media, they all conduct their own polls. What impressed him is that since 1989 renowned professional polling firms such as Gallup Poll and Zogby have been systematically conducting surveys on Americans' opinions of China every year, from which can be observed and analyzed the relation and interaction between the US' policy toward China, China's policy toward the US and the public opinion. This is very important. He hopes that as a good start the survey conducted by the Global Times can hold. After years' constant surveys it can reflect scientifically the change of Chinese opinion of the US and the relation between the change of public-opinion and that of policy.

Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University, and Tao Wenzhao, research fellow at the Institute of American Studies of the CASS, have similar opinions. Tao Wenzhao believes the surveyed people are rather rational and have rather profound understanding of questions such as the Sino-US relations. The survey results are relatively accurate reflection of the public opinion on the US and the Sino-US relations. Surveys such as this one are helpful in knowing the general public's understanding and degree of approval of state diplomatic policy. It is very significant.

A mixture of "love and hatred" between China and the US

After deciphering the survey results Ding Gang said he has a deep impression that like the Americans the Chinese have the conflicting feelings of both love and hatred or, put it another way, both love and fear toward the other.

Similar attitudes can be read from many of the survey results. For example, the majority of Chinese realize that the US is containing China, but there are still many Chinese who like Americans. Yan Xuetong also said the results show that with regard to the Americans and the American society those admiring them are still the majority. When speaking of the US' foreign policies including the policy on China the proportions who disapprove of them are rather large.
Ding Gang took a poll conducted by Zogby last year as an example to illustrate that the Americans also have similar attitude. The poll showed that Americans who held positive opinion of China were increasing. 57 percent Americans believed the Sino-US relations were better than they had been ten years ago. In the meantime, however, another poll showed that 53 percent Americans thought China was posing a great threat to the US in terms of economy. The percentage was high up in the first place. There were still another 22 percent Americans who believed China posed a potential military threat. Ding Gang said such kind of public opinions Americans have for Chinese are, like an American expert on Sino-US relations said, a mixture of love and hatred throughout history.

Mr. Tao Wenzhao has similar feelings. In September 2003, he said, a poll by the CNN and USA Today showed that 9 percent of the interviewed regarded China as an ally. 44 percent believed China to be a friendly country. However, there were still more than 40 percent who regarded China as a threat or potential threat in the meantime. Tao Wenzhao believe the great difference in Americans' understandings of China led to the complexity of its China policy - there are contacts as well as containment and precautions. The same psychology is reflected in China's policy toward the US. On the one hand China actively promotes the development of the Sino-US relations, on the other it has to continually combat the US' policy and acts to contain China.
No too high expectations of the Sino-US relations

Experts on Sino-US relations noticed a fact reflected in the survey. While 56.7 percent realized the US is containing China the satisfaction rate for the Sino-US relations exceeded 70 percent. Yan Xuetong believes the great contrast is closely related to the guidance of the media. Ding Gang, on the other hand, believes apart from the statistics another fact must be taken into consideration, that is, more than half of the surveyed believed there had been no changes to the Sino-US relations in recent years. It can seen that the majority of Chinese do not have as high expectations of the Sino-US relations as one might think. In other words, they have become very realistic. The US' policy toward China, which is both contact and containment, has not seen major changes for a long time. Therefore they do not expect the Sino-US relations to become very sweet. The Americans should take notice of this information. After all, the US also has reasons and motivations to develop the Sino-US relations. The fact that the Chinese have no high expectations of the relations will have negative impact on the development of the Sino-US relations.

This view is also reflected in the fact that nearly half the people believed the US and China had a relationship of rivals. Ding Gang said it requires the US and China to have a correct understanding of their respective policies and to have an overall balancing in the wrestling for their respective national interests. The two countries should consider certain coordination and compromises and try to make reasonable moves so that the competition is carried on in a benign fashion, rather than letting it develop into a vicious competition or even to the degree of confrontation. This is a challenge to the wisdom of the politicians in both China and the US. Tao Wenzhao also told the reporter that the Harvard professor Joseph Nye pointed out that to blend China into the international system and to make China a responsible member is the greatest challenge to the US diplomacy in the 21st century. The former US Secretary of State Kissinger also believes that the future of the Sino-US relations cannot be built on a final strategic face-off. We can see that whether it is in the US or in China the opinion that the Sino-US relations cannot be built on a final strategic face-off is growing stronger. There are differences of opinion between the US and China as well as common interests. From the long-term point of view it is entirely possible to avoid a final strategic face-off.

Speaking of the foundation and drive for developing the Sino-US relations the experts read much from this survey. The survey statistics showed that those who attached importance to the development of the Sino-US trade and economic relations, admired the social and sci-tech development as well as the sound legal system in the US, could accept and identify with the American culture, liked Americans to some extent and were willing to study or live in the US if they had the opportunity and condition made up considerable percentage. It is safe to say that in terms of economics, culture, society, science and education etc. the Chinese public opinion of the US is conducive to the development of the Sino-US relations.

As to the negative factors in developing the Sino-US relations the public opinion and that of the government are consistent in China. Yan Xuetong said the survey show that the Chinese public sees clearly the distinction among the American people, the American society and the American government. All the Chinese public's dissatisfaction with the US is almost concentrated solely on the US's foreign policies, particularly the policy on China. Among other issues the Taiwan question is the core. Above 60 percent believe it to be the main question affecting the Sino-US relations in the future while about 32 percent Americans think the greatest issue in the Sino-US relations is that of human rights. Different Americans have different reasons for raising the question, Tao Wenzhao believes. Some of them have never come to China, some of them deliberately use the human rights question to derail the development of China while others think that the American value should be accepted by all. Therefore the question becomes complicated.
What has affected the impression of the US
To the proportion of 62.7 percent all the experts paid special attention. Part of Chinese urban residents as high as 62.7 percent admitted that their impression of the US had been shaped mainly by the media. Tao Wenzhao also admitted that as a matter of fact all scholars and decision makers in both China and the US are influenced by the media to a more or less degree. The media has an influence on people's opinion of the Sino-US relations, which cannot be underestimated. It is not so hard to see that as far as international affairs are concerned the Chinese public generally accepts what the media says.

It was also for this reason that Yan Xuetong pointed out the fact that among the reasons Chinese felt dissatisfied with the US the option of "selling weapons to Taiwan" and that of "waging the war in Iraq" were chosen by roughly the same number of people while people who chose the option of "strengthening military ties with Japan" were few - a phenomenon which greatly surprised Yan. "One of the things happened far away from us, another is a big thing which happened just outside our door and the other happened right inside our home. How could it be this result?" Yan Xuetong warned: "Think about the coverage our media devoted to Iraq, which was who knows how many times more than that of the US' arms sales to Taiwan!" Regarding "the US and Japan strengthening military ties" Ding Gang believes judging from the statistics many people were not aware of that at all or did not know much.

On this question Ding Gang's opinion is that the media which has great influence on the public should reinforce their sense of responsibility and act discreetly in terms of the proportion, weight, angle and attitude of their reportage. The media should play a positive role in international questions affecting national interests such as that of the Sino-US relations. They should not deviate from their proper stand, throw away their independent thinking and follow the voice of the west.

INSIGHTS

Personally, what i felt was interesting was that many urban residents got their perception of the US through mass media. Given that mass media is tightly controlled by the state, it shows that the internet had played a big part in this. I feel that this shows that besides economic growth, urban residents are also increasingly concerned about politics and China’s foreign relations with other countries. In the article, it has stated that majority of the Chinese do not have high expectations of the Sino-US relations which might have a negative on its development. In my opinion, the government is the main deciding factor on the development Sino-US relations and not the Chinese people. Both governments should practise mutual understanding and tolerance in order to bridge the gap between them, which has been widen by the recent Tibetan revolt, China’s tainted products, Sino-US trade deficit and the human rights record in China. This will ultimately change the perception the Chinese and the Americans have on each other. Today, there is a lot of international criticisms on China about the problems mentioned above which received worldwide attention. Less prominent is the criticisms that the local Chinese have on their own country, as implied by the statistics. For example, majority of the Chinese are concerned about the quality of products that are on the market. I feel that with China’s tainted products, this will cause the ire of the Chinese residents but might not be known to us due to tight media control by the state.

Labels: articles, posted by Thomas, Sino-US Relations

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