The latest polls show that more New Zealanders believe that China is a threat, not a friend.
This is the result of the latest poll released by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
The New Zealand Asia Foundation conducted the 2020 “New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples” (New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples) annual survey of more than 2,000 New Zealand respondents in October and November last year, and found that The percentage of people who are friends with China has dropped from 40% in 2019 to 31%, and the percentage of people who think China is a threat has increased from 21% in 2019 to 35%. This is the first time that the percentage of people who think China is a threat has surpassed the percentage of people who think China is a friend.
Interviewees also believe that the relationship with China is very important, and New Zealand should work harder to build a relationship with China.
Jason Young, director of the New Zealand Center for Contemporary China Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, believes that Hong Kong, Uyghurs, the South China Sea, China’s handling of the new crown virus and the deteriorating relationship between the United States and China all have public views on China. Had an impact.
Yang Jiesheng said, “I think if this trend continues, it may have a harmful impact on bilateral relations and New Zealand’s ability to secure and prosper locally.”
The report also found that more New Zealanders believe that South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Indonesia are friendly countries than in previous years.
Simon Draper, executive director of the New Zealand Asia Foundation, said that polls conducted in the mid-1990s found that Sicilians usually thought Asia was a remote and unrelated area, but now the situation has changed.
He said, “New Zealanders are saying, you know, they think they are part of Asia, and Asia has touched their lives in some way. This didn’t happen when we started our investigation more than 20 years ago. Where do they travel? All these things, who are their friends, what they read, what they eat and what games they play, all touch on their daily lives.”
The survey also found that the number of people holding a positive view of the United States has declined. Experts believe that this may be related to the Trump administration and New Zealanders’ dislike of superpowers in general.
(This article is based on a report by the New Zealand National Radio)
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