China skeptics worrying about China's economy see its inexpensive goods
export and their companies relocating to China as a threat, according to
the poll which covered France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Britain
and the United States.
Of the six European countries covered, 70 percent of people in France
and only slightly fewer in Poland, Italy and Slovakia expressed jitters over China's emerging
economy.
Traditionally free-trading Britain had more people who saw China as an
opportunity than a threat, the survey found.
With European manufacturing coming under pressure from Asia, the
European Commission has imposed anti-dumping duties on a range of Chinese
exports, including leather shoes.
EU and Chinese negotiators are due to begin talks next month on a broad
new bilateral agreement, including economic issues. And, US Treasury
Secretary Henry Paulson is leading a high-level Washington delegation to
China later this month.
The poll also showed 52 percent of respondents favored globalization in
general, up from 46 percent in 2005.
Possibly behind that was a fall in dissatisfaction about the local
economy -- 41 percent of Americans and 27 percent of Europeans were
satisfied with their own economy, up from 30 and 20 percent respectively
in 2005, the survey found.
The poll heard the views of about 1,000 people in each of the seven
countries between September 5 and 25.
