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BOGOTA: China is viewed as a more positive influence on the world than the United States, a major poll of citizens in 17 Latin American countries published on Friday showed.
The 2026 Latinobarometro survey showed that for the first time since the annual survey began in 1995, China is seen as a more benign force than the United States.
It showed 57 per cent of people in Latin America considering the United States to be a positive influence, down from 60 per cent in 2020.
China, meanwhile, was considered a positive influence by 65 per cent of respondents, a jump from the 48 per cent it scored six years ago.
Based on the data, “China has more influence in Latin America than the United States,” the report concluded.
Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only countries in the region where US influence was deemed more positive than that of China.
The growing disaffection towards the United States comes nearly halfway through Trump’s second term, during which he has openly asserted his desire for hegemony over Latin America as part of what he calls the “Donroe Doctrine.”
The United States as a country remained more popular than China, with 63 per cent saying they had a favorable view of the world’s top economy, compared to 58 per cent for its arch-rival.
But US popularity was markedly down compared to 2024, when Democratic president Joe Biden was still in the White House. Two years ago, 73 per cent of people surveyed by Latinobarometro had a favourable view of the United States.
