Americans Want China Cooperation Despite Washington's Hard Line

While Washington doubles down on confrontation with China, most Americans are quietly pulling in the opposite direction.

A new survey by the Committee of 100 (C100) civic group reveals that 64% of Americans favor greater cooperation with China—a striking disconnect from their government's increasingly aggressive stance. Perhaps more surprising: this isn't a partisan divide. 65% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans both want reduced US-China tensions.

When Policy Meets Reality

The timing of this survey makes its findings even more remarkable. Conducted in June 2025, just after President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff blitz against Chinese goods, the poll captures American sentiment at a moment of peak official hostility.

Trump's administration has unleashed a multi-front campaign: escalating tariffs, tightening visa restrictions, and curtailing research collaboration. Yet the American public seems unconvinced that confrontation is the answer.

More than half of respondents expressed concern about Trump's inflammatory rhetoric on China, particularly its impact on Chinese Americans. The president's pandemic-era phrases like "China virus" and "Kung flu" drew widespread criticism as racist. His recent campaign trail antics—mocking Asian accents and claiming former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's name "sounds Chinese"—continue to raise eyebrows.

The Stakeholder Puzzle

This polling data reveals fascinating fault lines in American society. While policymakers in Washington frame US-China relations as a zero-sum competition, ordinary Americans seem more interested in practical cooperation on shared challenges.

Businesses caught in the crossfire likely welcome these findings. From Apple's supply chain dilemmas to Tesla's Shanghai operations, American companies have billions at stake in maintaining productive relationships with China. The survey suggests they have public opinion on their side.

Academics and researchers, increasingly restricted from collaborating with Chinese institutions, may also find validation here. The brain drain of Chinese scientists leaving American universities—a trend accelerated by visa restrictions and research limitations—appears to concern the public more than it does policymakers.

The Global Ripple Effect

This disconnect between American public opinion and policy has implications far beyond US borders. Allied nations watching Washington's China strategy may need to recalibrate their own approaches, knowing that American public sentiment could eventually reshape official policy.

For countries like South Korea, caught between their security alliance with the US and their economic ties with China, these findings offer a glimmer of strategic flexibility. If American voters ultimately prefer cooperation over confrontation, Seoul's balanced approach may prove prescient rather than problematic.

The survey also raises questions about democratic accountability in foreign policy. How long can an administration pursue policies that run counter to clear public preferences? And what happens when the next election cycle forces politicians to reconcile their tough-on-China rhetoric with voters' actual desires?