As Trump goes to China, what do Americans say about tariffs, Iran and world standing?

President Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025. Trump heads to Beijing for another meeting with Xi on Tuesday. Andrew Harnik/ hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/ As President Trump embarks Tuesday on his first trip to Beijing of his second term to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Americans largely view China as an economic rival seeking global dominance, according to an NPR/Chicago Council on Global Affairs/Ipsos poll . But Americans also want to maintain a strong trading relationship with China and would like to see tariffs reduced to keep costs to U.S. consumers down. Americans believe China wants to be the dominant world leader Almost 8 in 10 respondents said China wants to be the dominant world leader. But by a 56% to 29% margin, they see the threat as more economic than military. Only 13% believe China represents no threat at all to the U.S. Most see China as one of the United States' biggest rivals or adversaries A majority of Americans sees China as either a rival (37%) or an adversary (21%), though more see it as a rival. Another 1 in 5 see it as a necessary strategic partner, and only 2% view it as an ally. Of the 10 countries asked about, only Russia was viewed more antagonistically. Two-thirds said they see Russia as an adversary (43%) or rival (21%). Australia was the country most seen as an ally (51%), followed by Japan, Germany and South Korea. …