Latin America sees China as more positive global influence than US: Poll

Annual Latinobarometro survey finds views of China’s influence improving as perceptions of US influence worsen.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil [File: Adriano Machado/Reuters]

China is perceived more positively as a global influence than the United States in Latin America, according to a new regional survey, in a first since the poll began in 1995.

The 2026 Latinobarometro survey published on Friday found that 65 percent of respondents in 17 countries saw China as a positive influence. That was compared with 57 percent who said the same of the US.

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Support for China has risen sharply since 2020, when 48 percent of respondents viewed its influence positively. The figure for the US has fallen from 60 percent over the same period.

Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only countries surveyed where respondents viewed US influence more positively than China’s.

Latinobarometro, a Chile-based nonprofit organisation, conducts annual surveys across the region on issues including democracy, the economy, security and migration.

The findings come during US President Donald Trump’s second term, as his administration has sought to strengthen Washington’s influence in Latin America, particularly through exercising more military might.

That has included conducting strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the region, which rights groups have decried as extrajudicial killings, and abducting Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolas Maduro in Brazil.

Trump has described his approach as the “ Donroe Doctrine ”.

Despite the findings on global influence, the US remained more popular than China when respondents were asked about their overall views of the two countries.

Some 63 percent of respondents said they had a favourable opinion of the US, compared with 58 percent for China. The US figure was down from 73 percent in 2024.

The survey also asked respondents about the US military capture of Maduro .

A majority in all but one country, Argentina, approved of Maduro’s capture by US forces.

Views were more divided over what the operation meant for Venezuela, with 35 percent saying removing Maduro had benefitted the country and 28 percent saying it had harmed it.

Venezuelans were among the populations most likely to view US influence positively, according to the survey.

The 2026 survey was based on about 19,200 face-to-face interviews conducted in 17 countries between May 7 and June 17, with a margin of error of 1 percent.

拉丁美洲晴雨表年度调查发现，随着人们对美国影响力的看法恶化，对中国影响力的看法有所改善。

在巴西举行的联合国气候变化大会前夕，巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦与中国国务院副总理丁学祥握手。[图片：Adriano Machado/路透社]

一项新的区域调查显示，在拉丁美洲，中国作为全球影响力的形象比美国更受认可，这是自 1995 年该项调查开始以来的首次。

周五发布的2026年拉丁美洲晴雨表调查显示，在17个国家中，65%的受访者认为中国具有积极影响。相比之下，持相同观点的受访者中，对美国持积极态度的仅占57%。

列表 1/3：马可·卢比奥称美国寻求与拉丁美洲建立更多经济和安全联系

特朗普集会拉美盟友打击贩毒集团（共3项）之二

阿根廷贫困率在米莱执政期间上升至32%，预计未来形势将更加严峻（列表3/3）。

自2020年以来，对中国的支持率大幅上升，当时有48%的受访者对中国的影响力持积极态度。同期，对美国的支持率则从60%下降。

在接受调查的国家中，只有哥斯达黎加和多米尼加共和国的受访者对美国的影响力比中国的影响力持更积极的看法。

总部位于智利的非营利组织 Latinobarometro 每年都会对整个地区进行调查，调查内容包括民主、经济、安全和移民等问题。

这些发现正值美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的第二个任期内，他的政府一直试图加强华盛顿在拉丁美洲的影响力，特别是通过展现更大的军事实力。

这其中包括对该地区涉嫌走私毒品的船只进行打击（人权组织谴责这些行动是法外处决），以及在巴西绑架委内瑞拉当时的领导人尼古拉斯·马杜罗。

特朗普将他的方法描述为“唐罗主义”。

尽管有关于全球影响力的研究结果，但在被问及对两国的总体看法时，美国仍然比中国更受欢迎。

约63%的受访者表示对美国有好感，而对中国持好感的受访者比例为58%。美国的这一比例较2024年的73%有所下降。

该调查还询问了受访者关于美国军方抓捕马杜罗一事的看法。

除阿根廷外，其他所有国家的大多数民众都赞成美军抓捕马杜罗。

对于此次行动对委内瑞拉的意义，人们的看法则更加分歧，35% 的人认为罢免马杜罗对委内瑞拉有利，28% 的人认为对委内瑞拉有害。

调查显示，委内瑞拉人是最有可能对美国的影响持积极态度的人群之一。

2026 年的调查基于 5 月 7 日至 6 月 17 日期间在 17 个国家进行的约 19,200 次面对面访谈，误差幅度为 1%。