How Russia’s War Against Ukraine Has Negatively Impacted Europeans’ Views of China

As Russia joins the alliance, Europe’s view of China is worsened Getty Images

China’s support for Russia in its war against Ukraine is having a dramatic—and negative—impact on Europeans’ views of the Communist country, according to a poll published Wednesday.

China’s partnership with Russia has fueled a shift in public opinion, with a majority of those polled across 13 European countries saying their attitude toward the CCP has worsened during the past year as a result of this relationship. The growing Beijing-Moscow alliance was cited as the reason for the 66 percent who had an unfavorable opinion of the Communist nation, which is 34 percent.

The poll, conducted by the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights in Survey Research, shows China’s credibility is declining, particularly among nations that have historically enjoyed open relations with the Communist regime, such as Austria, Poland, and Croatia. China’s “partnership with and support for Russia” fueled opposition among 66 percent of respondents, while another 50 percent said Beijing’s major human rights crimes contributed to their dimming views.

China’s relationship with Russia is well-known among those polled, with 88 saying they had knowledge of the issue and 40 percent saying, “China supports or enables the invasion of Ukraine.” The war More than 7,000 civilians were killed in Ukraine, more than 11,000 were injured, and the international community was mobilized against Vladimir Putin.

Only 33% of those polled said that they have a favorable or somewhat positive view of China. Sixty one percent of respondents indicated that they view China as somewhat or highly unfavorable.

The poll included 14,461 people from 13 European countries. This includes Austria, Poland and Greece as well as Hungry and other Eastern European nations that were once part the Soviet Union. According to the findings, China’s popularity is decreasing among those countries closest to Russia.

Russia’s numbers are worse. Only 16% said that they have a positive or somewhat positive opinion of Moscow. While 78 percent said that they view Moscow as somewhat or extremely unfavorably.

Only 6 percent of respondents stated that their perception of Russia has improved in the last year. 9 percent said the same for China. Three quarters of respondents said that their perception of China has worsened. Only 69 percent responded the same for Russia. A significant portion said that their view has changed.

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