Most Filipinos distrust China, view it as PH's greatest threat –OCTA

Six in 10 Filipinos distrust China and view the country as the Philippines’ greatest threat, according to a recent Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey conducted by OCTA Research.

Only 13% of Filipinos said otherwise, the number dropping slightly from 15% recorded in July 2025, while 26% of the respondents claim they are undecided on the matter.

Distrust levels were almost consistent across regions, ranging from the lowest at 56% in Visayas to the highest at 62% in the National Capital Region. Trust was highest in Mindanao with 18%.

Despite high numbers, OCTA also noted that there had been a sharp decline in distrust with a 25-point drop overall from 85% distrust last July 2025.

“Overall, the findings indicate broad-based distrust toward China across demographic, regional, and socioeconomic groups. While small pockets of higher trust exist in specific regions and among younger age groups, skepticism remains the dominant sentiment nationwide, with ambivalence persisting among roughly one in four adult Filipinos,” read the survey.

“The trends suggest that while trust in China edged downward slightly, the more pronounced change over time has been a reduction in expressed distrust. This shift coincides with a corresponding increase in ambivalence, indicating that changes in sentiment are driven less by growing trust and more by movement away from strongly negative views,” it added.

Greatest threat

Meanwhile, 79% of respondents said China was the Philippines’ greatest threat, followed by Russia with 5% and the United States of America (USA) with 4%.

China’s numbers rose up from 74% in July 2025.

“Perceptions of China as the Philippines’ greatest threat have strengthened over time and stabilized at a high level. The persistence and recent uptick in this measure suggest that China occupies a unique and enduring position in Philippine public opinion on external threats, one that is likely to remain salient in the near term,” OCTA added.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy for comment.

Data from the survey were gathered through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above nationwide, held between December 3 to 11, 2025.

The survey has a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. 

Subnational estimates of margin of error at the 95% confidence level are ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. —KG, GMA Integrated News