EU, US See China’s Rise as Cause for Concern

A majority of Europeans and Americans said they perceive China's emergence as a major economic power as a threat, according to a survey published by the German Marshall Fund, December 2007.

A survey released 5 December 2007 by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) shows that majorities of Americans and Europeans support deepening trade and investment between the European Union and the United States in the face of concerns regarding trade-related job loss, immigration, currency manipulation, and China’s economic rise. Opportunities to wield global regulatory influence, achieve higher productivity, and, to some extent, increased competition from China, are driving American and European support for a stronger transatlantic marketplace. About two-thirds of Americans and Europeans – 64% and 69%, respectively – support a new initiative aimed at deepening transatlantic trade and investment, according to the fourth annual Perspectives on Trade and Poverty Reduction public opinion survey.

“The transatlantic economic relationship, the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, remains a critical anchor for the global economy,” said Craig Kennedy, president of the German Marshall Fund. “After more than five decades of robust trade and investment integration since World War II, Americans and Europeans see even further gains to be made by deepening the transatlantic marketplace.”

A project of GMF’s Economic Policy program, Perspectives on Trade and Poverty Reduction is a survey of transatlantic public opinion on international trade, economic development, and poverty reduction. Conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, it also explores views on agricultural policies, immigration, and aid to and trade with developing countries.

In fact, majorities in the U.S. and Europe appreciate aid and trade as development tools and believe they can help reduce poverty, build democracy, and enhance global stability. And despite anxieties over outsourcing and China’s economic rise, support for freer trade and other pro-globalization policies remains relatively high in the U.S. and Europe.

• Primary Source

German Marshall Fund of the United States: Perspectives on Trade and Poverty Reduction. A survey of public opinion. Key findings reports 2007 http://www.gmfus.org/economics/tpsurvey/2007TPSurvey-FINAL.pdf

Website: German Marshall Fund of the United States: Perspectives on Trade and Poverty Reduction http://www.gmfus.org/economics/tpsurvey/index.cfm

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