From the trade war to Coronavirus battle, China and the U.S. have been busy in blame game for the pandemic but the world is not amused, shows a new poll.
In terms of their fight against the invisible enemy, which has claimed over 433,600 lives globally, only three out of 53 countries believe that the Donald Trump administration did a better job than Xi Jinping's government in China. The survey of 120,000 people, conducted by the German polling firm Dalia Research and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, an organization led by the former NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, reveals deep dissatisfaction with US leadership on how they responded to the outbreak in the country.
The researchers found that electorates in Greece (89 percent), Taiwan (87 percent), Ireland (87 percent), South Korea, Australia, and Denmark (all 86 percent) are happy with how their government has controlled the Coronavirus outbreak. But, only a third of people around the world believe that the U.S. government responded well to the pandemic, compared to 60 percent who claim that China's response was good.
Findings of the Survey Based on 53 Countries
The survey showed only a third of Europeans believe the U.S. is a positive force for global democracy, compared with half who claim that it has had a negative impact, indicating the unpopularity of American President Donald Trump. Fifteen of the European countries included in the survey say that U.S. has a negative impact on global democracy, with the net negative score at -40 percent in Germany.
Former Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the Coronavirus pandemic is a litmus test for democracy, which is still alive in the hearts and minds of people across the world, but this study highlights a disconnect between citizens and their governments. He added that "It should act as a wake-up call to democratic leaders that people want more democracy and freedom after COVID-19."
While half of Americans and just over half of French, Italians, and Belgians say their country is democratic, the largest democratic deficits were recorded in Venezuela (50 percent), Poland (48 percent), Hungary (42 percent), Ukraine (39 percent) and Thailand (35 percent).
EU Response
As per reports, EU foreign ministers will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss how far they can take a more skeptical approach toward China. There is an unwillingness to add an all-out trade war and concern over America's implementation of a law which will require firms to certify that their entire global supply chain – not just the part of the business that sells to the U.S.– is devoid of equipment from Huawei, the telecom company ZTE corps, and other Chinese firms.
Such measures have played a role to rise the anti-American feeling within China, according to the survey. The share of Chinese people who believe that the U.S. has a negative influence on democracy around the world has moved from 38 percent to 64 percent in just one year, giving China an opportunity to move to the top rank as the country most critical of the U.S.
