China's Military Is a Serious Problem, Majority of Americans Say: Poll

Large numbers of Americans see China's strategic partnership with Russia, as well as its growing military power, as serious problems for the United States, a survey released Tuesday shows.

Recent polling by the Pew Research Center showed that 57 percent of U.S. adults said the China-Russia partnership was a "very serious" problem, a 5-point decrease since March. But the number rises to 87 percent when it includes those who said the problem was "somewhat serious."

"China's military power" was a very serious problem for America, according to 50 percent of respondents, up 7 points in the past six months. Thirty-six percent said it was somewhat serious.

President Xi Jinping is on the verve of securing a norm-breaking third five-year term as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of its Central Military Commission. His presidency is expected to be extended next March, following Beijing's abolition of term limits in 2018.

Although he is considered China's most assertive leader since the country's founder, Mao Zedong, Xi and his extended rule were seen as a very serious problem by only 30 percent of Americans, the Pew report found, although 41 percent said it was somewhat serious.

Of more concern were tensions between China and Taiwan—up 8 points to 43 percent among those who saw the problem as very serious—and China's human rights policies, considered a very serious problem by 42 percent of respondents.

Eighty-two percent of respondents saw U.S.-China economic competition as more serious than Xi's third term, with 41 percent seeing the problem as very serious or somewhat serious.

Pew surveyed 5,098 U.S. adults between October 10 and 16. In August, President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, a measure intended to ensure that American semiconductor producers continue to lead in advanced chip making. The CCP "actively lobbied against" the bill while it was still passing through Congress, Biden said earlier this month.

On October 14, the Biden administration announced restrictions on the export to China of high-end U.S. chips, as well as related technology and personnel, a move observers believe will effectively curtail Beijing's ambition to become a global leader in science and technology.

In remarks to party delegates as he opened the CCP's twice-a-decade National Congress on Sunday, Xi reaffirmed his intention to accelerate the development of China's armed forces.

Since 2015, Xi has used his role as head of the country's military to exert stronger practical and ideological control over the People's Liberation Army, which he has put on a path toward modernization by 2027, the PLA's centennial.

He also announced an acceleration of a long-term target for 2049, the centennial of the People's Republic of China, when he expects the PLA to become a "world-class military."

According to the Pew poll, older Americans were generally more likely to see U.S.-China issues as very serious. Respondents 65 or over led in their concerns regarding each of the survey's topics, while the 18-29 age group was the least concerned about all problems except for China's human rights record. In that case, the 30 to 49 age group was least likely to see it as a problem for America.

Conservative Republicans were more likely to view issues in the two nations' bilateral relationship as very serious. The poll showed significant gaps between GOP-leaning respondents and Democrats on the China-Russia partnership, the Chinese military and economic competition with Beijing.

Finally, tensions over the situation in the Taiwan Strait have heightened since the Chinese government's forceful reaction to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in August. This appeared to drive up concerns about the region's security in the past six months, the Pew survey said.

A majority of Americans, 54 percent, said the U.S. should continue high-level political visits to Taiwan, even if it harms relations with China, compared with 38 percent who felt otherwise.

The feeling was largely consistent across age groups but slightly higher among liberals compared with conservative-leaning U.S. adults—64 to 61 percent.