According to RT,
New polls by the U.S. political news website on Canada, Germany, France and the United Kingdom show that public opinion towards the U.S. has dropped significantly.
Respondents from these traditional U.S. allies increasingly believe that China is more trustworthy than the U.S., and they believe China leads in advanced technologies including artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, European respondents think it is possible to reduce reliance on the U.S., but it is more difficult to reduce reliance on China.
A series of Western polls indeed reflect a profound change taking place. They reveal the loosening of the "trust bond" between the U.S. and its traditional allies, while also reflecting China's rising influence in areas such as technology.
The poll shows that the image of the U.S. in the minds of its allies is no longer reliable. In countries like Canada (57%) and Germany (51%), the majority of people believe the U.S. is untrustworthy in times of crisis. The main reason behind this is the shift in policy: from the "Greenland acquisition theory" to the trade war, and then to the sharp criticism of Europe by the vice president at the Munich Security Conference have all left allies feeling insulted and abandoned. A deeper reason is that the U.S.' long-standing image of "protecting democracy" and "sharing values" has failed among its allies, with only 17% of people in France believing the U.S. shares their values. This is the most worrying shift for the U.S.
In these four countries, 50% to 55% of respondents believe that China leads in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. This marks the erosion of the U.S.' unquestionable image of technological hegemony. China's achievements in fields such as electric vehicles and renewable energy are evident and have gained global recognition.
Respondents believe it is feasible to reduce dependence on the U.S., but it is more difficult to reduce dependence on China.
The poll shows that Europe's strategic autonomy awareness has been awakened. Since the U.S. security umbrella is no longer reliable, rather than establishing an unpredictable dependency, it is better to promote Europe's own defense construction.
This reflects the powerful inertia of economic rationality. After decades of globalization, Europe's supply chains, vast market, and deep integration with China have made them dependent on China in future industries such as new energy. Political "de-risking" is hard to offset the "difficulty of decoupling" economically.
In summary, this is not just about fluctuations in poll numbers, but the shaking of the psychological foundation of the Atlantic alliance. Europe is being thrown out of the "comfort zone," while discovering that the world is evolving toward multipolarity.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859743791827980/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.