Americans Mindful of ChineseEconomic and Military Rise

USA – a nationwide new poll revealed that most Americans see China as an economic threat to the United States, but participants in the poll disagreed about the fact that the communist giant is a military threat to their country.

70% of participants in a “CNN” and “Opinion Research Corp” survey, considered that China is an economic threat and 51% saw it as a military threat as well.

The results of the survey on Monday evening coincided with the beginning of U.S. President George Bush’s Asian tour that will end up in China where he will participate in the opening of the Summer Olympic Games.

CNN’s senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, said, “According to a new study of the Council of International Affairs, based in Chicago, there are increasing numbers of Americans who believe that the Chinese economy will outweigh the U.S’ economy, and that the communist state will become the biggest competitor to America over powers”

In this context, CNN’s polling director, Keating Holland, commented that “eight out of ten Americans believe that Tibet should be an independent state, while a small fraction (14 per cent) believed it should remain a part of China.”

The declaration of the participation of President Bush in the Olympics opening ceremony was met by criticism from a number of Chinese politicians and dissidents.

However, the survey showed that the Americans would not mind the presence of the President: 63% of those surveyed supported his decision to participate.

Schneider added, “There is a growing popular criticism of China, and concern about its growing economic forces, but the Americans do not like outright hostility, especially in the Olympic Games, which are not supposed to be political.”

The survey, in which 1041 Americans participated, was conducted during the period from 27 to 29 last July. The questions concerning China as a threat and Tibet were asked to half of the participating sample, and the margin of error in those three questions was +,- 4.5%. The margin of error in the question on Bush was +,- 3%.