The Center for Central European Asian Studies (CEIAS) in Slovakia released a survey on the Perception of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Europe during the Epidemic, which found that respondents in as many as 10 of the 13 countries had a generally negative view of the CPC, while those who had a positive view of the CPC believed it had deliberately created the virus to spread globally, with 62 percent of Poles blaming the epidemic on the CPC. In the Czech Republic, 51 percent of respondents see the CCP as a threat, while only Serbia, Russia, Latvia, Italy and Poland have a positive view of the Belt and Road Initiative.
According to the survey “Perceptions of the Chinese Communist Party in Europe during the New Epidemic” published by the Center for Central European Asian Studies (CEIAS) in Slovakia, respondents in as many as 10 of the 13 countries had generally more negative than positive perceptions of the CCP, and those with positive perceptions of the CCP believed that the CCP deliberately created the virus to spread globally. A large number of respondents in all 13 countries saw China helping in most countries/regions during the epidemic, but few believe that the CCP’s international reputation would have improved.
Richard Turcsanyi, a researcher at the China-Europe Center for Asian Studies and one of the report’s authors, noted, “While some Europeans are aware of China’s help, the overall impact of the pandemic has been negative as the outbreak has spread from China. In addition, Chinese Communist diplomacy has become more confrontational in the last year, and many European countries, including Sweden, France, the United Kingdom or the Czech Republic, have recently experienced some diplomatic tensions. In addition, the deterioration of the human rights situation in China, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, has further aggravated the negative and deteriorating image of the CCP in most European countries.”
A large-scale public opinion survey on China conducted in 13 European countries in September and October 2020 showed that respondents in up to 10 of the 13 countries or regions had generally more negative than positive views of the CCP; among them, people in Western and Northern Europe had the most negative impressions of the CCP, people in Eastern Europe had the most favorable views of the mainland, and people in Southern and Central Europe, although in the middle, had mostly negative impressions.
From a single country perspective, Sweden is the most disliked country in Europe, with nearly 70% of people holding negative or very negative views. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic also have more than 60% negative impressions of the CCP. Among the EU countries, only Latvia has a positive impression of the CCP. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic of the Central European Group of Four (CEQ) are generally viewed negatively, but more evenly.
As for how the respondents evaluate the changes in their perceptions of the CCP over the past three years, the UK’s perception of the CCP has deteriorated the most, with more than two-thirds of respondents saying their perceptions of the CCP have worsened, while other countries whose perceptions of the CCP have significantly deteriorated include Sweden, France and Germany.
As to why their perception of the Chinese Communist Party has seriously deteriorated, respondents mainly point to the mainland’s impact on the global environment and its interference in democracy in other countries. Trade with China is seen as positive by most, with the exception of France, the United Kingdom and Sweden, where trade with China is seen as slightly negative. Paradoxically, most countries have a negative impression of the purpose of mainland investment, with only a few countries such as Serbia, Russia, Latvia and Poland holding a positive view.
The report also states that Chinese companies are the least preferred partners in the construction of 5G networks, especially in Sweden, the Czech Republic, the UK, France and Germany. In most countries, respondents strongly support cooperation with EU companies, followed by Japanese and US companies.
In a new survey of eleven large European countries conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations, six in ten respondents believe that China will be more powerful than the United States within a decade, Durrelli explained, “It is true that, according to our survey, Europeans generally have a negative view of the Chinese Communist Party, but they acknowledge that China will be a powerful country and, therefore, they want to be in a position to take action on epidemics, climate change , counterterrorism and other challenges, and other global issues with China.”
Recent Comments