China surpassed the United States in global approval ratings in 2025, with a median of 36% approving of China’s leadership, compared with 31% for the U.S. China’s five-percentage-point advantage over the U.S. is the widest Gallup has recorded in China’s favor in nearly 20 years.
Because it’s advantageous to do so currently. Let’s not willfully ignore their illegal fishing fleets that have been operating for decades, among other things (like the whole plastic recycling debacle).
They do not care about international law. They care about making you think they do.
The real problem is also that China will probably become even more powerful than USA, and being so powerful feeds arrogance.
I’m just hoping China will see how arrogance is now destroying USA’s global dominance because they are alienating their allies.
I am not aware of the fishing and plastic things you mention, but we’ve had lots of fishing issues here in Europe too. Even between countries that are fiends.
Well, they’ve been illegally fishing from internationally protected zones for decades so there’s that. The U.S. also had to cancel all of its contracts with China to recycle plastic because they either dumped it in the ocean or subcontracted with other Asian countries who dumped it in the ocean. You can determine whether or not that actually violates international law if you want, I would assume it does not. You can also be the judge on whether or not that should be against international law, if it is not. Plenty to take into consideration there, like how recycling plastic just produces more microplastic.
China, the country not the place, is made of human beings. I don’t have much hope that they will escape that trap.