Survey shows improved Chinese sentiment toward Korea

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
A survey has found that Chinese public sentiment toward South Korea improved in 2025 from the year prior.
 
The Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University released the report titled “2025 Public Opinion Survey Report: Chinese Outlook on International Security” on Wednesday, based on two rounds of surveys conducted in July and November last year among 2,000 Chinese mainland residents aged 18 and older.
 
 
The survey indicated that favorability toward South Korea scored 2.61 out of 5, up 0.51 points from 2.10 in the previous year’s survey.
 
Chinese favorability toward South Korea stood at 2.60 when the survey was first conducted in 2023, fell to 2.10 in 2024, and then rose again last year.
 
Among major countries surveyed, Russia recorded the highest favorability rating at 3.48, although this marked a decline from 3.67 in 2023 and 3.66 in 2024. Russia was followed by Britain with 2.92, the European Union with 2.86, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, with 2.74 and the United States with 2.38.
 
Japan, which has been embroiled in tensions following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting possible intervention in the event of a Taiwan contingency, recorded the lowest favorability rating at 1.90.  
 
Japan has ranked as the least favored country among Chinese respondents for three consecutive years in the CISS survey.
 
Chinese favorability toward the United States fell from 2.19 in 2023 to 1.85 in 2024 before rising to 2.38 last year. The proportion of respondents who believed that U.S.-China relations had improved over the past year also rose sharply, from 8.1 percent in 2024 to 20.3 percent last year. However, 78.8 percent of respondents said they believed the core of Washington’s China strategy was to contain China’s development and rise.
 

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, on the sidelines of the APEC summit on Oct. 30. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

 
In addition, 85.1 percent of respondents said they supported China’s retaliatory trade measures against the United States, with 94.8 percent of those supporters saying they “fully support” such actions.
 
Meanwhile, in a newly added survey on favorability toward neighboring countries, Pakistan received relatively high ratings at 3.34, along with Singapore at 3.27, Malaysia at 3.08 and North Korea at 3.08, while Myanmar ranked lower at 2.13, as well as India at 2.18 and the Philippines at 2.35.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]