A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center has found that Canadians now view China more favourably than the United States, and by a significant margin as well.The poll asked people from countries around the world which of the two global powers they had more favourable views of, and, of the 36 different countries polled, only nine said they favoured the United States over China.In the Canadian sample, 44% said that they viewed China favourably, while only 33% said the same thing about the United States.This number not only marks a stark change in the Canadian outlook towards our southern neighbour but also a warming towards the rising power in the East.According to Pew, when this same question was asked three years ago, the numbers couldn't have been more flipped.In 2023, 57% of Canadians said they viewed the US favourably compared to a measly 14% who said the same thing about China..This change highlights that, in only three years, favourability towards the United States has dropped by almost 25% and favourability towards China has risen by 30%.Canada is not the only country to showcase such a change in attitudes, with the survey showing similar Western nations, like the UK, Australia, and France, all having similar shifts in favourability.However, among prominent Western nations like those mentioned above, Canada still maintains the largest favourability gap between China and the US.Looking at the list, the countries that are most in favour of China seem to come from Asia or the Middle East, with Pakistan, Malaysia, and the West Bank of Palestine being the three countries with the largest 'pro-China' gap in favourability.While for America, its favourability is much more centred in areas with either significant American backing, like Israel, which ranks far and away as the most pro-American country polled, or near-Western countries that have disputes with China, like Japan and India..This shift towards China can likely be attributed less to China actively pursuing a charm offensive and more to the hawkish and antagonistic trade policy of the Trump administration.The implementation of seemingly indiscriminate tariffs and comments from the current administration regarding the sovereignty of other nations, like in the cases of Greenland and Canada, has made many around the world reevaluate their opinion of the world's largest economic powerhouse.In the case of Canada, the combination of these two factors, the perceived American threat to sovereignty and the economy, has made many view America less like an ally and more like a threat.In contrast, the recent opening up between China and Canada in trade has evidently made many warm to the once feared Red Sun across the Pacific.It remains to be seen if these numbers will only be a minor blip as a result of the Trump administration or the beginning of a geopolitical shift for Canada, and seemingly many other Western nations, away from Uncle Sam and towards Beijing.
