China is viewed more favorably than the United States across most of the countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center, according to a report released on Wednesday by the nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, DC.

China received higher favorability ratings than the US in 27 of the 36 countries surveyed, including the US' nearest neighbors Canada and Mexico and its allies Germany, France and the United Kingdom. In contrast, the US was viewed more positively in only nine countries.

The findings are based on interviews with 42,151 adults, which were conducted between Feb 8 and May 13 in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

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According to the report, a high median of 75 percent of respondents said the US interfered in the internal affairs of other countries. Meanwhile, respondents in many middle-income countries said that China is a more reliable partner than the US and is more likely to contribute to global peace and stability.

The survey showed that 72 percent of respondents in South Africa view China as a reliable partner, compared with 46 percent who think the same of the US.

The disparity is more pronounced in Pakistan, where 84 percent view China as a reliable partner, compared with only 36 percent who think the same of the US.

Across Latin America, China is viewed more favorably than the US, the survey found.

Overall ratings for the US are also largely negative. Favorable views of the country have declined in many places over the past year.

Fred Teng, president of the America China Public Affairs Institute, a nonprofit and public policy organization based in Washington, DC, noted that China's rise in global opinion is not the result of the US' decline, but is largely the result of China's own actions.

"Over several decades, China has brought peace, stability and prosperity to its own people, while expanding trade, infrastructure, investment and development cooperation with other countries," Teng said.

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Many nations increasingly assess China by the merit of what it has delivered, not by how others describe it, he said, adding that if more countries see China as reliable, constructive and less likely to interfere in their internal affairs, the balance of global influence will continue to shift.

"This will be especially important in the Global South, where countries want peace, development and respect for sovereignty, not pressure to choose sides. The future of US-China competition will be decided not only by power, but by which country is better able to create peace, deliver prosperity and earn trust," Teng said.

Many netizens shared similar views. Reacting to an article about the survey published in The Washington Post, Luther Mahoney wrote: "Of course China has become more popular. It hasn't attacked or threatened anyone — certainly not Iran, Greenland, Cuba, Venezuela, Gaza, or others — in the past year."

Contact the writers at liazhu@chinadailyusa.com