BBC Chinese Edition recently reported, based on a newly released survey report which polled 13 European country residents on British public opinion, that, during this time of the pandemic, the people in Britain have changed their minds significantly about China. The report was published jointly by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and the Chatham House. According to the report, currently 62 percent of the British people surveyed have a “negative” impression of China. This number is only behind Russia and North Korea. This is also the highest number among the 13 European countries. In the meantime, over 68 percent of the people polled said China’s image has gotten worse in the past three years. The worsening Chinese image may result mostly from the pandemic. However, the situation and the wide reports on Hong Kong and Xinjiang have also played an important role. The pressure in the UK to take a more hawkish stance against China has not been so strong for a long time. During the pandemic, Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to Britain, said earlier at an online press conference, “China has not changed. The responsibility for the difficulties between China and UK rests solely with the United Kingdom.
Source: BBC Chinese, January 1, 2021
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-55498296