Days before his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that he expects "a very difficult" encounter, focused on the trade deficit and jobs. Many Americans share their leader's concern about China's impact on the U.S. economy. But according to a new survey by Pew Research Center, the public's worries about U.S. debt, job losses and trade imbalances have eased in recent years, and its overall opinion of China has grown more positive.
Today 44% of Americans have a favorable opinion of their biggest economic rival, while 47% express an unfavorable one. A year ago negative views of the country held sway by a 55% to 37% margin. Republicans remain more negative in their views than Democrats -- although, even among Republicans, unfavorable attitudes have become less common.
