RUSSIALINK: “Majority of Russians Favor China, Dislike U.S. – Poll” – Moscow Times

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 16, 2018)

A new survey shows an overwhelming asymmetry in the Russian public’s attitudes toward China and the United States as Moscow’s ties with Washington continue suffering post-Cold War lows.

U.S.-Russia relations are at historic lows amid claims of a Kremlin-backed campaign of election interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Two out of three Russian respondents named the U.S. as their country’s biggest adversary in a poll published earlier this year.

Three-quarters of those polled by the independent Levada Center said they view China in a positive light, compared to one-third who had the same answer for the U.S.

Only 12 percent of Russian respondents said they dislike China, while 54 percent said they dislike the U.S., according to the results published on Tuesday.

“The population continues to express support for the country’s foreign policy,” Levada sociologist Karina Pipiya said, citing recent results showing increasing public trust for Russia’s army and special forces.

The results come three months after Russians’ positive feelings toward the U.S. outweighed negative feelings for the first time since 2014.

Levada conducted the latest survey among 1,600 respondents in 52 Russian regions between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26.