Author: Kobo-Daishi
Date: 05-19-12 19:29
Dear all,
The following is a May 17, 2012 article titled "China Now More Popular Than The U.S., Poll Says" found at the Los Angeles Times newspaper's web site:
China has grown more popular than the United States, according to a recently released poll ( http://www.globescan.com/images/images/pressreleases/bbc2012_country_ratings/2012_bbc_country%20rating%20final%20080512.pdf ) that quizzed more than 24,000 people around the world about whether countries and the European Union affected the world for good or for ill.
China has long been popular in Nigeria and Kenya, where most people polled said it had a positive influence, but jumped in popularity this year in Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries, according to the GlobeScan poll, done in partnership with the University of Maryland for the BBC World Service. Half of the people polled outside China said the country had a mainly positive effect on the world.
A slim majority of the people who said China had a positive effect credited its economy, products and services for their opinion. "It is Chinese economic assistance to these countries and their closer economic ties with China that have improved China's popularity in these countries," Su Hao of China Foreign Affairs University told China Daily.
Yet its economic influence was also the top reason given by people who said China hurt the world, followed by “the way China treats its people” and foreign policy.
The U.S. dropped slightly in popularity in the last year, the poll found, with 47% of people polled outside the country saying it had a largely good influence. Nigeria and Kenya -- the same countries that rank China highly -- view the U.S. the most highly out of the countries polled.
But the U.S. has become much less popular in Nigeria than it used to be, and it has also lost points in South Korea, Chile and Russia. The main reason people gave for disliking the U.S. was its foreign policy. European countries and the European Union also fell.
"The turmoil in the EU ... has raised doubts in people's minds about its continued ability to be a global leader," said Chris Coulter, president of the GlobeScan polling firm. "Hopes are turning to China."
The most popular country of all was Japan, which overtook Germany in the rankings this year with 58% of respondents saying it had a mainly positive effect on the world. The only place polled where Japan was truly unpopular was China, where only 16% of respondents said it had a good influence.
The overall rankings, based on the percentage of people who said the country or countries had a positive effect, in descending order were: Japan, Germany, Canada, Britain, China, France, the European Union, the United States, Brazil, India, South Africa, South Korea, Russia, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and Iran.
XXXXX
The article may be found at the following link:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/05/china-now-more-popular-than-the-us-poll-says.html
They like us! They really like us!!!! ;-0
There have been quite a few articles in recent weeks suggesting that China is squandering her soft power. Even one by the guy who coined the term "soft power", Joseph Nye.
I guess this puts the lie to that. ;-)
China's popularity jumped in Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries with half of the people polled outside China saying the country had a mainly positive effect on the world?
Of the people who didn't find favor with China, they cited her economic influence followed by “the way China treats its people” and foreign policy?
While the main reason those who dislike the US cite US foreign policy?
How can we address the issues that give reason for those who find fault with China, China's economic influence, "the way China treats its people", and Chinese foreign policy?
Of these three reasons, the easiest to tackle would be "the way China treats its people".
Locking up every dissenting voice is stupidity itself.
You can't please everybody all the time so it's ridiculous to lock every two-bit activist up, especially blind lawyers.
Insanely bad PR. Luckily someone in power was smart enough to let Chen Guangcheng leave for the US. This might even have helped China's image rather than as some have suggested the opposite.
There have even been suggestions that the whole Chen debacle might even have hurt the US' image. The way she handled it. ;-)
Another thing, what is the deal with house arrest?
They've done their time so why punish them a second time? The punishment that keeps on giving?
When Martin Sheen is arrested at a protest you don't see him going into house arrest.
Sure in America we have parole where a prisoner is released early and they keep track of him or her occasionally with a surprise visit from a parole officer or the need for the prisoner to report to the parole board but this...this is overkill.
Another thing that would greatly improve China's image is to address TAM.
The 25th anniversary of Tiananmen is fast approaching and to resolve it and get it out of the way would be to China's advantage. Don't let this be a missed opportunity.
More suggestions for going about it from Kobo in a future thread.
Kobo-Daishi, PLLA.
P.S. The most popular country is Japan followed by Germany?!?!?! What is it with these Axis powers? ;-0 Once dreaded enemies now lovable mutts? ;-) And whatever became of Italy, the lesser Axis power? ;-) The once mighty Roman Empire (On a par with Han Dynasty China)? ;-)
|
|
The Asiawind forums are provided to you by
InTechTra Inc.
