Asia ♥ America

Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

America bashing is good sport in Asia. From anti-U.S. beef protests in South Korea to anti-CNN campaigns in China this year, it sometimes seems like the world's most liberal democracy isn't wanted in the region.

Not so fast. A poll released last week by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the East Asia Institute in Seoul shows that Asians embrace America's presence. Of the five Asian countries where polling was conducted – China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia – a majority of respondents in four view U.S. influence in Asia as "positive" or "very positive." (Indonesia was the outlier.) The 6,000 respondents were polled between January and February.

America is also viewed positively for its economic influence. A majority of respondents said their country's economy was influenced "by American ideas on the benefits of free markets and open competition." In China, a whopping 71.2% of respondents said their country was somewhat or very influenced by these ideals. A full 66.5% of Chinese polled said an Asian free trade area should include the U.S.

But America's influence in Asia is being challenged by China's rise. A majority of respondents in all countries – save Indonesia – see China as the future "leader" of the region. (Even 68.2% of Americans agreed with that statement.) But most respondents in Japan, South Korea and Indonesia said they were somewhat or very uncomfortable with that scenario.

Polls aren't exact measures of public sentiment. But they do at least provide a barometer of which way the wind is blowing. On that measure, China has a long way to go before it unseats America's pre-eminence in the region.