The attitude of Ukrainians toward China remains complex and controversial: a neutral position prevails, but among those who have decided, negative assessments significantly outweigh positive ones. This is evidenced by the results of an all-Ukrainian survey conducted by Active Group in cooperation with the Experts Club information and analytical center in August 2025.
According to the survey, 44.7% of Ukrainian citizens expressed a neutral attitude toward China. At the same time, 40.7% of respondents indicated that their assessment was negative (30.0% – mostly negative, 10.7% – completely negative). Only 12.0% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward China (8.3% – mostly positive, 3.7% – completely positive). Another 3.0% of respondents admitted that they did not know enough about the country to express their own opinion.
“Negative attitudes toward China among Ukrainians are primarily related to its foreign policy stance, which many people find ambiguous in the context of global events. However, the economic factor is extremely important: in the first half of 2025, China remained Ukraine’s No. 1 trading partner. Our exports to China amounted to more than $846 million, while imports exceeded $8.1 billion. This means that China’s influence on the Ukrainian economy is extremely significant, and it is simply impossible to ignore it,” said Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club.
In his turn, Oleksandr Poznyi, co-founder of Active Group, drew attention to the importance of separating economic interests from public perception.
“The survey shows that Ukrainians are not ready to unequivocally perceive China as an ally. For many, it remains an alienated state, and a significant share of negative assessments is explained by the global political context and lack of trust. At the same time, economic cooperation is so extensive that it could become the basis for a gradual change in public opinion in the future,” he added.
The poll is part of a broader study that analyzes international sympathies and antipathies of Ukrainians in the current geopolitical environment.
The full video can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgC9TPnMoMI&t
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ACTIVE GROUP, CHINA, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Poznyi, SOCIOLOGY, TRADE, URAKIN
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