Why China tops the U.S. in global approval, reaching its widest lead in two decades?
10 April 2026

Why China tops the U.S. in global approval, reaching its widest lead in two decades?

World Today

About
A global poll has found that China surpassed the United States in approval ratings of leadership in 2025, and by the largest margin seen in nearly two decades. What's driving this change? How are global attitudes toward these two major powers evolving? And what could this shift mean for policymakers, and for the future of the global order?
Host Dou Hongyu is joined by Chen Weihua, former Chief Washington Correspondent of China Daily, Wang Zichen, Deputy Secretary-General at the Center for China and Globalization, and Lee Pei May, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the International Islamic University Malaysia, to delve into these questions.