FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Approval of American leadership fell by at least 10 points in 18 NATO member countries, but only in three of them, Spain, Italy and Belgium, did China see double-digit increases in approval, with little change in most other members...
The image of the United States among NATO countries has weakened over the past year, while approval of China across the alliance has increased, according to a Gallup poll. The survey of NATO member states showed that average approval of China's leadership is increasing and that of Washington is decreasing in 2025.
Newsweek has requested comment from NATO.
Why does it matter?
NATO's unity has been put to the test since 2022, with China providing support, despite being officially neutral, to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This has coincided with a deterioration in US-China relations, amplified by a trade war, increased Chinese investment across southern and central Europe, and messages from President Donald Trump casting doubt on his commitment to NATO.
Gallup data highlights a decline in US approval across NATO and a rise in support for China, at a sensitive geopolitical time amid the war in Ukraine, unrest in Iran and Trump's attacks on Venezuela and claims to Greenland.
What you need to know
The poll in 31 NATO member states was conducted between March 27 and October 30, 2025, before US military action in Venezuela, after which Trump has reiterated his desire to annex the territory of Greenland from NATO founding member Denmark.
The poll, with a margin of error ranging from 3.4 to 5.4 percentage points, showed that Washington and Beijing now have similar approval ratings across NATO, with the average approval of Beijing's leadership rising by 8 points to 22 percent, the largest increase ever recorded in a year.
That's a percentage point higher than the 21 percent of Americans, whose approval ratings fell 14 percentage points from last year.
Approval of American leadership fell by at least 10 points in 18 NATO member countries, but in only three of them, Spain, Italy and Belgium, did China see double-digit increases in approval, with little change in most other members.
According to Gallup, China saw significant growth, including in Slovenia, Greece, Hungary and Turkey.
As Newsweek's map shows, China has significantly higher ratings than the US in 8 member states by at least 10 points. These are Slovenia, Luxembourg, Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain, Montenegro, Iceland and Greece.
On the other hand, the US leads China in three countries, Poland, Albania and Romania. The remaining 20 member states have the US and China in roughly similar ratings.
Gallup said public support for American and Chinese leadership is back at the same level, which is a return to what it was under previous Republican administrations.
US action in Venezuela and Iran
The NATO opinion toward the US comes amid tensions over whether Trump will order military strikes on Iran in response to a crackdown on protests that threaten his ruling regime, shortly after the US military seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Beijing will be watching closely what the US does next in Iran, says Craig Singleton, senior fellow for China at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), who said the strikes ordered by Trump would likely face "rhetorical restraint in Beijing."
That's because two complex military operations in two regions just two weeks apart would reinforce a core assessment within China's system that the US military can remain unmatched and Washington will use it when it judges the risks are manageable, he said.
Beijing is likely to respond with condemnations and calls for restraint, but the deeper conclusion would be that China's partnerships offer little protection when the United States decides to act.
"Venezuela made this clear on a regional level," Singleton said, and Iran would underscore this on a global level.
What do the polls say?
The Gallup poll shows that "although the US and China have similar average approval ratings across NATO, China has significantly higher ratings than the US in eight member states, while the US leads China in three."
What happens next?
Opinion within NATO members could shift further after Trump's recent statements about buying Greenland, in which he did not rule out military force, a move that Denmark has warned would mark the end of the alliance. /Adapted from Newsweek /
Lini një Përgjigje