Trump Loves China. But It’s Not Mutual. Here’s the Data.
– 1 min read
Trump has leaned heavily into personal praise for China and Xi Jinping, presenting the relationship as something he can manage through personal chemistry.
But China is not treating this as a love story. It is treating it as a strategic opening.
Gallup’s latest global leadership data shows China has edged ahead of the United States in global approval. Median approval of U.S. leadership fell to 31%, while approval of China’s leadership rose to 36%. Gallup described the five-point gap as the largest lead it has recorded for China over the United States. U.S. disapproval also reached 48%, while China’s disapproval remained at 37%.
That does not mean China is broadly beloved. It means the United States is losing ground in the global perception contest — and Beijing benefits when Washington looks chaotic, transactional, or internally divided.
ONEST Take:
Trump is treating China as a relationship. China is treating the United States as a strategic opening.
Trump wants chemistry. Beijing wants leverage.
Written by
Olga Nesterova is a journalist and founder of ONEST Network, a reader-supported platform covering U.S. and global affairs. A former White House correspondent and UN diplomat, she focuses on international security and geopolitical strategy.
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