---
title: "China or America? Indians Pick U.S."
description: "As Indians head to the polls over the next six weeks, their country again finds itself in a world with two preeminent powers: this time, China and the United States."
date: "2014-04-04"
authors:
  - name: "No Author"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/04/04/china-or-america-indians-pick-u-s/"
---

# China or America? Indians Pick U.S.

*By Bruce Stokes, Director of Global Economic Attitudes, Pew Research Center*

*Special to [CNN](http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/04/china-or-america-indians-pick-u-s/)[ ](http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/04/01/worry_but_wait_russia_china_opinion)*

During the Cold War, the Indian government attempted to position itself between Moscow and Washington by claiming leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement. As Indians head to the polls over the next six weeks, their country again finds itself in a world with two preeminent powers: this time, China and the United States.

And the Indian public is fairly clear where its sympathies lie: with America. Of course, how such attitudes will influence the views of the next Indian government remains to be seen. But, for now at least, there appears to be no evidence of broad anti-Americanism on the sub-continent.

This might come as a surprise to some. After all, the favorable views of the United States came despite the fact that the [Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/03/31/indians-reflect-on-their-country-the-world/) measuring sentiment was conducted in India in the immediate aftermath of the controversial December 2013 [arrest and strip-search of India’s female deputy consul general ](http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/19/politics/india-us-diplomat/index.html)in New York on charges of visa fraud.

Read more at [*CNN's Global Public Square blog*](http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/04/china-or-america-indians-pick-u-s/)