Public attitudes towards China are turning more negative in the United States, Europe, India and elsewhere amid unease about its economic and military power, a new international survey suggests.

“The image of China has slipped significantly among the publics of other major nations,” said the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Survey. Feelings have deteriorated in the United States, Britain, Japan, India and Germany, though China generally is viewed favourably, due largely to its contribution to economic growth, according to the survey.

The exception to the downturn was Africa, where China is expanding commercial ties and has pledged several billion dollars in aid. Large majorities in all but one of 10 African countries surveyed see China and its growing economic and military power positively.

The survey was based on telephone or face-to-face interviews between early April and late May in 45 countries, according to Pew. In the US, percentage of respondents with a favourable view of China fell from 52 per cent last year to 42 per cent this year, the survey found. In Japan, 29 per cent of people surveyed viewed China favourably, down from 55 per cent in 2002.  The trend was stark in Europe, where the share of Germans responding who view China positively slid from 56 per cent in 2006 to 34 per cent this year, the survey found. Similar declines were reported in Spain, Britain and France.

“To some extent, this reflects the widespread view that China’s growing economic power has positive effect on the respondent countries, especially developing world,” the survey said.