China seen as more positive than US in Latin America poll

China is viewed as a more positive influence on the world than the United States in Latin America, according to the 2026 Latinobarometro survey published Friday.

The survey said 65 percent of respondents in 17 Latin American countries considered China a positive influence, up from 48 percent six years earlier. It said 57 percent considered the United States a positive influence, down from 60 percent in 2020.

Latinobarometro said it was the first time since the annual survey began in 1995 that China was seen as a more positive force than the United States.

The survey said Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only countries where US influence was viewed more positively than China's.

The United States remained more popular as a country than China, with 63 percent of respondents saying they had a favourable view of the United States, compared with 58 percent for China. But the US favourable rating was down from 73 percent in 2024.

Latinobarometro said the 2026 survey was based on about 19,200 face-to-face interviews in 17 countries between May 7 and June 17, with a margin of error of 1 percentage point.