Trans-Pacific View | Society | East Asia

China-US Trade Relations: Between Engagement and Decoupling

Survey findings complicate the notion that U.S.-China economic policy presents a binary choice between the two options.

Over the past decade, U.S. policy toward China transformed from one focused on economic engagement to that of competition and decoupling. These changes occurred amid broader concerns about China’s economic practices and ambitions. How the American public perceives China’s economic actions remains less clearly understood.

Existing survey research suggests that the American public is wary of China’s economic rise and the fairness of bilateral trade, while often acknowledging the importance of trade relations and remaining skeptical of tariffs. A 2024 Cato Institute survey showed 59 percent of respondents viewed China’s trade practices with the U.S. as unfair, while a 2025 Pew Research survey found that 46 percent of respondents believed China benefited more than the U.S. in U.S.-China trade, with only 10 percent believing the U.S. benefited more. Likewise, a 2024 Gallup poll found 63 percent viewed China’s economic power as a critical threat, although a later 2025 Chicago Council Survey found Americans nearly evenly split on whether trade weakened or strengthened U.S. national security. 

These tensions raise a fundamental question for policymakers: Does public opinion support a sustained shift toward economic separation, or does it reflect a more ambivalent set of preferences? Public opinion may be shaped by competing economic self-interest versus national security frames, which do not always produce consistent policy preferences. 

My survey results suggest clear concerns, but not necessarily a mandate for either engagement or wholesale decoupling. This is consistent with broader work that finds Americans acknowledge the benefits of trade while being concerned about unfairness and vulnerabilities. Such a lack of clarity may complicate efforts at a long-term economic strategy that effectively addresses China’s economic capabilities.

To address views on economic relations with China, I asked several economic-related questions as part of a national web survey. The survey used quota sampling based on age, gender, and region, was administered by Centiment from February 23 to March 3, and included 810 respondents.

First, respondents evaluated, on a five-point scale (very negative to very positive), their views of several countries, including China. Here, respondents gave China on average a score of 2.82, with marginal differences between Democrats (2.92) and Republicans (2.79). Respondents also rated, on a 10-point scale, how important they believed trade and economic relations between the U.S. and China were to the general U.S. economy. Overall, respondents gave relations a score of 7.27, with Democrats placing slightly greater importance on trade (7.48) than Republicans (7.27). The similarity in overall perceptions of China and in the importance of economic relations is notable amid partisan polarization, suggesting a baseline recognition of economic interdependence. Admittedly, respondents were not asked explicitly whether they would prefer the U.S. to limit trade overall. Absent such a question, these findings likely capture attitudes toward trade conditions rather than support for decoupling more broadly.

Next, respondents were asked who they believed benefited more from trade between the two countries, and whether current trade relations were fair. Here we find a divided public, with the largest group (37.8 percent) believing the benefits are about equal. However, Democrats were considerably more likely than Republicans to see the benefits as........

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