Committee of 100 Study Reveals Improved American Attitudes towards China While Raising New Concerns.

HONG KONG & NEW YORK -- Today, the Committee of 100, a national, non-partisan organization composed of prominent American citizens of Chinese descent, announced the preliminary results of the first of a two-phase study on American Attitudes toward China, conducted by Zogby International.

Robert Lee, Chairman of the Committee of 100, said, "We found that attitudes towards China have improved significantly over the last 10 years (from 46% to 59%). However, Americans do see China as a serious, current economic threat and a potential military threat."

The major positive change factor appears to be the shift of China towards a marketplace economy and its role as a major global economic power. Moderating Americans' concerns about job losses and outsourcing are the benefits they see in China's low cost products.

China's importance as an ally is viewed higher than 10 years ago and ranks above Saudi Arabia, and only slightly lower than Japan and Israel, amongst others. However, China is not viewed as a dependable ally in the War on Terrorism.

Other important findings in the survey suggest that human rights remain the key concern of Americans towards China, with China's impact on the global environment being registered as a major new concern. Additionally, Americans lean against greater U.S. involvement in Cross Strait affairs. In particular, they strongly oppose the use of military force.

Furthermore, the findings show that Americans view Chinese immigration as a significantly more positive than negative development and that 23% of the public responded they had a friend or family member that adopted a Chinese baby.

The survey was conducted in two parts:

1.Opinion Leaders - A sample of 203 in-depth interviews of Americans who are leaders in fields of business, media, government, academia, etc., and are also familiar with US-China relations. Respondents were chosen from a random list of Zogby-compiled contacts nationwide and interviews were conducted from November 18 - December 1, 2004 and December 13 - December 21, 2004. There is a margin of error of +/-6.9% with this sample.

2.General Public - 1202 adults selected at random nationwide, from December 8 - December 11, 2004. There is a margin of error of +/-2.9% with this sample. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion and gender.

"We were pleased to do the survey," said pollster John Zogby. "The results of the survey show some interesting trends regarding China. Many are fascinated with China's economic growth as a new market. This adds to a more favorable outlook on China."

Committee of 100 Chairman Robert Lee, added: "You can expect to see more on this subject as we release the second phase of the study on April 6, 2005 in Washington, D.C. during the Committee of 100's Annual Conference. This next phase will concentrate on attitudes of U.S. Congressional staffers, Chinese-Americans and corporate executives."

For more information, go to www.committee100.org.