Why the Chinese are more likely to view Trump as diplomatic
Is it his business acumen, straight-talking ways or because the country’s public servants have set the bar so low?
Chinese people are more confident in Donald Trump’s morals and governing skills than their Asian peers, but experts say this is because the country’s public servants have set the bar so low.
The Republican candidate has a relatively positive image in China compared with elsewhere in Asia, a poll commissioned by the South China Morning Post shows.
Only 17 per cent of Chinese believed Trump was “morally unfit” to be president – compared with at least half of participants in Japan, South Korea and Indonesia – while just 21 per cent said he was “arrogant”.
And the 1,500 Chinese surveyed were also more likely to view him as “diplomatic” (21 per cent), “well prepared to be president” (16 per cent) and “a natural leader” (15 per cent). In comparison, just 6 per cent of Singaporeans and 5 per cent of Japanese and South Koreans said Trump was “diplomatic”.
Clinton was the preferred candidate for 61 per cent of Chinese – compared with the regional average of 76 per cent.
