For nearly two decades, one line in the global opinion charts held steady: the United States was better liked than China. Gallup recorded the same crossover a year earlier, with China at 36% approval and America at 31%. Canada shows the same pattern: American reliability down 48 points, Chinese reliability up 30. Across 17 middle-income publics, a median of 75% say the United States interferes in other countries’ affairs; only 45% say the same of China. In Pakistan, the ratio flips: 84% trust China, 36% the United States.