Latin American poll: Favorability of China's influence surpasses that of the United States for the first time
A large-scale poll covering 17 Latin American countries showed that 65% of Latin American people believe that China's influence is positive, surpassing 57% of the United States for the first time.
Quick Look
- A large-scale poll covering 17 Latin American countries showed that 65% of the people believe that China's influence in Latin America is positive, surpassing 57% of the United States for the first time.
- Analysts pointed out that this is due to the "complete absence" of the United States in Latin America and the popularity of China's cheap imported goods.
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Why It Matters
The Chilean polling organization "Latin America Barometer" has regularly conducted large-scale polls since 1995 to assess Latin American people's views on the influence of major countries.
A large-scale poll covering 17 countries in Latin America shows that Latin American people’s perception of China’s influence now exceeds that of the United States.
The Chilean polling agency "Latinobarómetro" has been conducting this large-scale poll regularly since 1995. This year's survey results released on October 2 showed that for the first time, Latin America's favorable opinion of China's influence exceeded that of the United States: 65% of Latin Americans believed that China's influence in Latin America was positive, while 57% believed that the United States had a positive influence in Latin America. In 2020, the proportion of people who believe that China has a positive influence is still 48%, and that of the United States is 60%.
Among all 17 countries surveyed, only people in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic believe that the influence of the United States is more positive than that of China.
The "Latin America Barometer" pointed out that this change is due to the "complete absence" of the United States in Latin America in recent years. Marta Lagos, chairman of the organization, said in an interview with AFP that China has won the favor of Latin American people with its cheaper imported goods: "The gap that China fills is first of all a gap in people's wallets."
However, in terms of the overall image of the country, the United States is still more popular than China. 63% of the respondents have a favorable opinion of the United States, while 58% have a favorable opinion of China. However, compared with before Trump entered the White House for the second time, his favorability towards the United States has declined significantly, while his favorability towards China is increasing.
The proportion of people who think their country has a good relationship with the United States is 71%, a slight decrease from the previous year, while the proportion who think their country has a good relationship with China is 67%, a slight increase from the previous year.
U.S. President Trump is currently reverting to the "Monroe Doctrine" of two centuries ago, which regarded the entire Latin American region as the exclusive sphere of influence of the United States. Just earlier this year, Trump sent special forces to Venezuela to kidnap President Maduro to the United States for trial.
Open Questions
- Will the United States adjust its Latin American policy in the future to regain its influence?
- Can China’s economic advantages in Latin America be translated into lasting geopolitical support in the long term?
