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CHINA TRUST RATING PLUNGES

81% reject gov't's ‘do nothing’ policy on West PHL Sea – SWS


Four out of five Filipinos rejected the government's policy of doing nothing about China’s encroachment on the West Philippine Sea, a second quarter Social Weather stations poll found.

Of those polled, 81 percent said it was not right to leave China alone with its infrastructure and military presence in the West Philippine Sea.

Eighty percent of those polled also said that it was right for the government to improve the country's defense posture, and that it was especially neccesary to improve the Navy's capabilities.

Seventy-four percent said it would be right for the government to bring the territorial dispute before international organizations, like the United Nations or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, for a diplomatic and peaceful negotiation with China on the territorial dispute.

Seventy-three percent also said it was right to have direct, bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China on the dispute; while 68 percent said that the government needed to ask other countries to mediate the issue.

Eighty-one percent of those polled said they were aware of the West Philippine Sea dispute, with 43 percent being a little aware, 40 percent were adequately aware, and 12 percent had extensive knowledge on the dispute.

The poll also found that 81 percent were aware of the West Philippine Sea conflict even before they participated in the survey, while 19% learned of it only during their participation.

Among those who were aware of the West Philippine Sea conflict before the poll was taken, 12 percent had extensive knowledge, 40 percent had adequate knowledge, 43 percent had only a little knowledge, and five percent had very little knowledge on the matter.

China net trust

The second quarter poll also asked subjects how much they trusted China, with 18 percenct having much trust in China, 27 percent undecided, and 53 percent with little trust.

China’s net trust rating (percent much trust minus percent little trust) was thus a -35, which was characterized as a "bad" rating.

China's second quarter trust rating was 42 points below and one rating level down from the "neutral" +7 during 2018's first quarter.

This was also China's lowest trust rating since the "bad" -37 during April of 2016.

Accodring to the SWS, a net-trust rating of +70 and above was "excellent", +50 to +69 was "very good", +30 to +49 was "good", +10 to +29 was "moderate", +9 to -9 was "neutral", -10 to -29 was "poor", -30 to -49 was "bad", -50 to -69 was "very bad", with -70 and below "execrable".

Conflict awareness

China’s net trust rating was a "bad" -38 among those who were aware of the West Philippine Sea conflict before the survey, and was a  "poor" -22 among those who learned of it only during the interview.

Among those with extensive knowledge on the West Philippine Sea dispute, China had a -41 net trust  rating, a -42 rating among those with adequate knowledge, rated a -33 among those with only a little knowledge, and scored a -35 among those with very little knowledge.

China's trust rating score was in "bad" terrritory even among subjects satisfied with President Rodrigo Duterte. Among those who were dissatisfied with the Duterte, China had a trust rating of -42; among those who were undecided on the president, China scored a -39; and among those who were satisfied with Duterte, China stil had a -32 trust rating.

The second quarter-2018 West Philippine Sea dispute poll was taken from June 27 to June 30, 2018, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide. The poll had sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. — DVM, GMA News

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