Public opinion in both China and the US about the other country is at a low, and political analyst Zhang Lijia fears those opinions might push both adversaries into a new cold war, she argues in the South China Morning Post.
Zhang Lijia:
Does public opinion matter in an authoritarian country such as China, where there is no democratic voting system? The answer is yes, even though the correlation between public opinion and government decision-making is perhaps less strong compared to that of the US. There have been suggestions that Xi sharpened his rhetoric because he didn’t want to be seen as weak by the people of China.
The Chinese government does respond to public opinion as it cares about its political legitimacy, as shown in its sudden abandonment of its zero-Covid policy. The increasingly negative public views of the US could encourage its leaders to take a harder line against the US. This vicious circle is dangerous as the dramatic deterioration of the relationship will not be good for either country.
Disturbing as it is to see views of China in the US resembling those of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, I am not surprised as American politicians often lump Russia and China together. The difference between China and the Soviet Union is as wide as that between heaven and earth, though.
More in the South China Morning Post.
Zhang Lijia is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
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