Obama Wins by a Landslide in China

While the U.S./st1 :place> presidential race remains competitive, if Chinese citizens were to choose the next American president, John McCain would have an extremely tough election.  /span>

According to a new Horizon Research survey of nearly three thousand people in seven large cities and towns throughout China, of the 35.5% of Chinese who "pay close attention" to the U.S. election, Barack Obama's supporters exceed McCain's by 17.8 percent.     /span>

Moreover, China Daily reports that a poll conducted by the US/st1 :place> embassy, 75% of Chinese support Obama, though these results are probably highly influenced by the amount of media coverage both candidates have received.  /span>

Earlier this year, Obama was the first non-Chinese "Person of the Month" from the popular Chinese website Baidu.com.  Rather than delving into Obama's China/st1 :country-region> policy or other more serious topics, the site offered a softer side of the candidate, featuring him in his bathing suit and remarkable fund-raising abilities.   /span>

In contrast, far fewer Chinese know who John McCain is, though overall, the Republican Party is viewed far more favorably in China/st1 :place> than many other parts of the world.  President Bush's attendance at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics combined with a favorable trade policy with Chinanbsp;give him a far more favorable response in Beijingor Shanghaithan Parisor Geneva/st1 :place>./span>

Even without having to overcome an unfavorable view of the American administration, however, McCain still can't quite compete with the star quality or interest that Obama has generated in China/st1 :country-region>. /span>

When I spoke with several Chinese journalism students who have been traveling throughout the U.S./st1 :place> covering the election since August, nearly all of them said that watching Obama accept the Democratic nomination was the highlight of their experience.  /span>

They didn't necessarily support him politically, but the excitement and electrifying stadium made a deep impression on them.  This type of enthusiasm has similarly carried over onto media coverage and general curiosity about Obama throughout China/st1 :country-region>.  /span>

Even with Obama's Chinese support, however, the majority of Chinese aren't paying very close attention to the U.S./st1 :country-region> election.  With food safety concerns, factory closures, and slowing economy (though most countries would love Chinas 9% GDP growth rate) China/st1 :country-region> has plenty of domestic concerns to fill the headlines./span>