Poll: Americans concerned most over China's economic power

WASHINGTON (AP) — China's economic muscle remains a more serious concern for Americans than security threats posed by cyberattacks and the Asian nation's growing military, according to a survey released today.

The survey by the Pew Research Center comes ahead of a high-profile U.S. state visit this month by China's President Xi Jinping. Differences between the world powers have sharpened over hacking allegations and China's increasing assertiveness in making territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The poll finds that 54 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of China, and that negative views run much higher among Republicans than Democrats. But overall, eight out of 10 Americans see serious problems with China on key economic, security and social issues.

Concern is most intense over the $1.27 trillion in U.S. debt held by China and the loss of U.S. jobs to China. Next come cyberattacks, China's policies on human rights, the U.S. trade deficit with China, China's impact on the global environment, and its growing military power.

The poll was based on 1,003 telephone interviews in the U.S. between April 13 and May 3. The margin of error was 3.6 percentage points.

The survey was conducted before the revelations in June that millions of U.S. federal personnel records had been hacked. U.S. lawmakers have said the cyberattacks originated in China.