- 36% of respondents to a new Insider poll said Biden is weak in China.
- The survey found that 33% of respondents consider Biden’s position on China “almost certain”.
- Biden has faced criticism from Republicans, who accuse him of being weak in Beijing.
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Almost four out of ten respondents (36%) in a new Insider poll said President Joe Biden’s policy towards China is weak or very weak.
Survey participants were asked: How do you feel about the Biden government’s position in relation to China?
Here is an analysis of the research findings on how the United States feels about Biden’s policy in China:
- Almost 5% said “it is very difficult”.
- Almost 9% said “it is difficult”.
- About 33% said “it is almost right”.
- 14% said “it is weak”.
- 22% said “it is very weak”.
- Almost 17% said “I don’t know”.
The survey found a significant disparity in how respondents answered the question based on their apparent political affiliation.
Of those interviewed who said they would likely vote for their state’s Democratic primaries or caucus, for example, the majority (about 55%) said Biden’s position on China is “almost certain”. A little less than 15% of that cohort said Biden’s policy on China is “weak” or “very weak”.
By comparison, about 46% of respondents who said they would likely vote for their state’s Republican primaries or caucus said Biden’s China policy is “very weak”.
Since his presidential campaign, Republicans and right-wing analysts have repeatedly accused Biden of being too lenient with China. But the president’s policies toward Beijing have not changed dramatically from those seen by President Donald Trump. Biden, for example, did not get rid of the Trump era tariffs on China, which were at the center of a controversial trade war.
The Biden government has made the challenge of China’s increasing global influence a top priority, also focusing on human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
“Competition with China will be fierce,” said Biden during the Munich Security Conference last week, calling on the United States and Europe to “react against economic abuses and coercion by the Chinese government”.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Trump was correct in taking a tough stance with China, but questioned the former president’s methods.
Meanwhile, some progressives in Congress have warned Biden against being sucked into a new Cold War with China, as Republicans seek to portray him as weak compared to Beijing.
SurveyMonkey Audience surveys a national sample balanced by age and sex census data. Respondents are encouraged to respond to surveys through charitable contributions. In general, digital searches tend to lean towards people with access to the Internet. SurveyMonkey audiences do not attempt to weight their sample based on race or income. The survey data collected 1,154 respondents on February 22, 2021 with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.