Interactive Geopolitics

Malaysia’s favorable view of China: 75%. For the U.S.: 19%

Among five Southeast Asian countries in Pew's 2026 survey, Malaysia ranks first for favorable views of China and last for the United States. Chinese films, stre

Akhyari Hananto

October 14, 2026 5:56 AM GMT+7

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Data Sources

Goh, N. (2026, October 10). Beijing wields pop culture to court Malaysian Chinese. Nikkei Asia. Pew Research Center. (2026). Global Attitudes Survey. Favorable views of the U.S. and China, as published in Nikkei Asia, "Southeast Asians favor China over U.S." Lowy Institute. (2025). Southeast Asia Influence Index. Cultural influence scores, as published in Nikkei Asia. Values are visual estimates read from the chart.

Among five Southeast Asian countries in Pew's 2026 survey, Malaysia ranks first for favorable views of China and last for the United States. Chinese films, streaming and social media are reinforcing that image among ethnic Chinese Malaysians, many of whom nonetheless describe their identity as Malaysian.

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