Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Asia

The Graphic Truth: Perspectives on the US and China

Bar charts of Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines's views on the US and China

Bar charts of Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines's views on the US and China

Paige Fusco
Make us preferred on Google

The US and China are competing for influence around the globe, but tensions are particularly high in East Asia, where China is the dominant power and the US is working to stop the region’s drift toward Beijing. The Eurasia Group Foundation surveyed 1,500 people across Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines – three countries caught in the middle of the US-China rivalry with significant historical, economic, and diplomatic ties to both superpowers – for their views.


“We found that the US is still held in high regard in the countries we surveyed, much more so than China, but that most think increasing tensions between the two countries will negatively impact their country's national security and domestic political environment” says Caroline Gray, a senior EGF researcher.

We took a look at the data to see how the US and China are faring in their competition for influence in East Asia.

More For You

​Hu Hetao #13 of China reacts after Indonesia defeated China 1-0 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 5, 2025.

Hu Hetao #13 of China reacts after Indonesia defeated China 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Round Three Group C match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 5, 2025.

Wu Zhizhao/VCG
This year’s World Cup is the biggest in history. Forty-eight teams qualified from FIFA’s 211 member associations. Yet the second-most populous country, which has over 1.4 billion people and a booming economy, isn’t among them. It didn’t even come close.China made it to the third of five qualifying rounds among the Asian Football Confederation [...]
​People watch as a Long March 10B carrier rocket takes off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, in Hainan province, China, on July 10, 2026.

People watch as a Long March 10B carrier rocket takes off from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, before returning vertically to an offshore platform for a controlled recovery, in Hainan province, China, on July 10, 2026.

China Daily via REUTERS
China nets a big win in the space raceIn a scene straight out of Looney Tunes, China on Friday maneuvered a gigantic floating net out into the Pacific Ocean, and used it to catch a rocket booster as it gently descended from the sky after launching a satellite into space. The achievement is no cartoon: figuring out how to reuse massively expensive [...]
​Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte arrives before the start of her impeachment trial

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte arrives before the start of her impeachment trial hearing at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 7, 2026.

REUTERS/Noel Celis/Pool
Assassination plots. International arrest warrants. Political dynasties battling for power. What might sound like a storyline from a Netflix political drama has instead become reality in Philippine politics over the past two years. The spectacle reached a new stage this week with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte getting [...]
Protesters hold flamingo-shaped placards and a large representation of a flamingo as they demonstrate against the government, in Tirana, Albania, on June 22, 2026.​

Protesters hold flamingo-shaped placards and a large representation of a flamingo as they demonstrate against the government, following weeks of protests against a planned luxury resort backed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, on an environmentally sensitive part of the Adriatic coast, in Tirana, Albania, on June 22, 2026.

REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
Flamingo protests take flight in AlbaniaOver the past month, Albania has seen its largest street demonstrations since the fall of communism nearly four decades ago. The protests in the small Balkan country were touched off by the start of construction on a seaside luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The [...]