Poll: Latin Americans prefer China’s influence to that of the U.S.

July 22^nd, 2013 (AFP and ICR) – China’s growing influence in Latin America is preferred in the region over that of the United States, though maintaining strong ties with its northern neighbor remains a priority, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center released on Thursday in Washington.

“While the U.S. is generally stated to have greater impact than China, China’s influence is seen more positively in most countries,” the survey of more than 6,100 people in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico and Venezuela said, as part of a comprehensive global research report on the perception of the two powers in four dozen countries.

In Venezuela, which has received millions in investment and financing from China, 57% of respondents see Bejing as a positive influence, and the figure rises to 71% if asked about China’s impact on the economy. This compares to the perception of U.S. influence in the country, with only 29% seeing the U.S. as a positive influence and just 46% see U.S. influence in economic affairs as being positive for the country.

Bolivia (31%), Argentina (27%) and Chile (36%) are those who most see China’s influence in the region as positive, while the United States finds support in Mexico (33%), El Salvador (51%) and Brazil (46%), although with little margin over the Chinese.

In the U.S.’s favor is the country’s “soft power,” including its technology, way of doing business and its popular culture that has been adopted by many in Latin America, according to the Pew Research Center.

President Barack Obama, who has said that Latin America represents an “opportunity” for his country, traveled in May to Costa Rica and Mexico, and has tried to revive his country’s relationship with the region, which has been mostly overlooked by Washington for the last decade.

But China is on the U.S.’s heels – President Xi Jinping toured Costa Rica, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago later that same month, offering increased Chinese trade and investment in Latin America.

U.S. influence is still dominant

Still, the study, conducted both in person and over the phone, found that most in the region believe U.S. influence in the region will continue to prevail.

In Brazil, which is working to become a regional leader in its own right, 83% said they see a large or moderate influence in their country’s future, with similar results in El Salvador (76%), Chile (64%), Bolivia (55%), Argentina (53%) and Mexico (74%).

The only exception is Venezuela, where the same percentage (47%) believes that both China and the United States are very important to the country, and China seems to be winning in economic matters, with 57% responding that China’s influence on the country’s economy is substantial, compared to 47% who said the same about the U.S.

And despite their preferences for China, most Latin Americans believe it is more important to have strong ties with the United States (with 71% in El Salvador) or to maintain a good relationship with both powers.

Only in Venezuela do more citizens believe that Beijing (38%) is a more important ally than Washington (19%).