More than half of Americans say the United States should cooperate and engage with China, according to a survey released on Tuesday, a sharp increase from the 40 per cent recorded in 2024.

“Americans’ views of China are beginning to improve after several years of sharp declines,” said Craig Kafura, the council’s director of public opinion and US foreign policy and author of the study. “The big swings on how the US should approach China, in a very broad sense, were really interesting and really surprising.”

This is the first time since 2019 that a majority of Americans surveyed said they preferred a policy of “friendly” cooperation and engagement with China.

Many of the findings varied significantly by political party, reflecting the deeply partisan nature of US politics.