Fri, Apr 08, 2005 page4

• Poll finds Americans have more favorable China view

  TAIWAN ANGLE About half the US congressional staff and business leaders surveyed think the US should defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese attack

  • AFP AND CNA
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  Americans have a more favorable view of China compared to a decade ago although human rights and copyright piracy remain top concerns, a study commissioned by a Chinese-American business group showed on Wednesday.

  The study also found that about half of the congressional staff and business leaders in the US think that the US should defend Taiwan militarily if China attacks it, while 76 percent of US congressional staff questioned oppose the EU lifting its arms embargo on China.

  The study was based on two polls conducted for the Committee of 100, an organization of Chinese-American leaders, by polling firm Zogby International. The surveys covered opinion leaders and the general public in December and business leaders nationwide and staff working for US legislators last month.

  But only 19 percent of congressional staff had a favorable impression of China, compared with 59 percent among the general public and 63 percent among opinion and business leaders.

  "American general public attitudes toward China have improved significantly over the last 10 years and are getting better," Carolyn Chin, a director of the Committee of 100, told a news conference to present the findings.

  Its previous study among the general public last year indicated that 46 percent viewed China favorably. Business leaders and congressional staff were not polled.

  "The dominant American attitudes towards China are positive and constructive," committee chairman Robert Lee said. "It's our belief that the US and China, two great powers, must continue to find ways of working together for a more productive and peaceful world."

  All three groups polled tend to view low-cost products made in China as beneficial to the US public and see US-China trade in a positive light.

  Although China was seen as a bigger magnet than India and Mexico for attracting US jobs amid shifts in production to low cost areas, the general view indicated "limited backlash against China over job losses."

  "For the Committee of 100, I guess you can consider this report as being some kind of signal of job security," Lee said.

  The survey showed that human rights was the top concern expressed by the general public and congressional staff. Business leaders cited intellectual property rights as their biggest worry and human rights as the No.2 concern.

  Between 12 to 16 percent of the general public, and opinion and business leaders viewed China's emergence as a military power compared with 36 percent by congressional staff.

  Fifty-four percent of congressional staff saw China's emergence as a global power as a serious threat compared with 24 percent by the general public and 30 percent by opinion leaders.

  When asked, "Should the US protect Taiwan with its military forces in the event of a cross-strait conflict after Taiwan declares independence?" 52 percent of the congressional staff queried said that the US should defend Taiwan militarily; only 19 percent said "no," while 29 percent provide no precise answer.

  For the same question, 48 percent of business leaders think the US military should help defend Taiwan; 50 percent think the US military should not, and only 3 percent are undecided.

  Meanwhile, 76 percent of the US congressional staff expressed strong opposition to the EU's plans to lift its arms embargo on China, compared with a mere 2 percent who said that they absolutely support the EU lifting the embargo.

  In addition, 49 percent of the congressional staff and 50 percent of the business leaders surveyed think that the US should be more active toward the development of cross-strait relations.

  The same survey also found that Americans think the biggest obstacle to doing business with China is "bureaucratic intervention." The groups however agreed that access to US markets should be linked to China's human rights record.
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