Americans see China as less of a threat
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-11-18 23:21

A possible military clash between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan is seen as a major threat to the United States by only 34 percent of the general public, while 62 percent of opinion leaders think otherwise.

A clash between India and Pakistan was considered a major threat to the United States by 32 percent of opinion leaders, while 23 percent said growing authoritarianism in Russia was the bigger threat.

Of more concern to the general public, the poll found, is the amount of US debt held by foreign investors: 55 percent rates this issue as a major threat. Only scientists/engineers and state an local government officials rated foreign indebtedness as a major threat (63 and 59 percent respectively).

China's emergence as a global power is not triggering increased concern among the general public and opinion leaders, said the poll.

While a "solid majority" of opinion leaders and 45 percent of the general public view China as a "serious problem," only one in five in each group consider the communist nation an adversary.

Among government officials, academics, think tank leaders, scientists and engineers, China is most frequently named as a country that will be more important to the United States in coming years, Pew Research Institute added.

When asked which US allies will become more or less important in the future, opinion leaders most often mentioned France as becoming less important while India and China were most often listed as becoming more important.

"Military leaders, in particular, believe France will be less important to the US in the future," according to the survey. "By contrast, far fewer than one in 10 military leaders cite any Asian country as being less important to the US in the future."

Fifty percent of the general public believe the United States should remain its position as the world's sole superpower, while for 35 percent would find it acceptable if China, another country or the European Union became as militarily powerful as the United States.