A huge survey states: this is the country that is replacing the US as a world power

China

A huge survey states: Beijing is becoming the strongest power in the world – thanks to Trump

A year after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a global survey reveals a dramatic picture: most of the Western world believes that China is an indispensable partner, against the background of US President Donald Trump’s aggressive policies.

The comprehensive survey by the European Institute for Foreign Relations Research (ECFR), published today (Thursday), conducted among almost 26 thousand people from 21 countries – including the USA, China, India, Russia, 13 European countries, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa and South Korea – reveals a dramatic change in the perception of the global balance of power.

In the vast majority of countries surveyed, people expect China’s global influence to grow over the next decade. The rates are particularly impressive: 83% in South Africa, 72% in Brazil, 63% in Turkey, 54% even in the US itself, 53% in the EU countries, 51% in India and 50% in the UK. Most EU citizens expect that China will soon lead the world in the field of electric vehicles and renewable energies. This week, data published by the Chinese government confirmed this view, when the country reported a trade surplus of almost 1.2 trillion dollars in 2025.

The no less surprising statistic that emerged from the survey is that few of the respondents are concerned about this. Only in Ukraine and South Korea do the majority see China as a real threat, while in South Africa (85%), Russia (86%) and Brazil (73%), the majority see China as a necessary partner or ally. Even in the European Union, 45% see China as a necessary partner.

In contrast, only 16% of EU citizens see the US as an ally, while 20% see it as a rival. India is the only country where a majority still feels that the US is an ally that shares common interests.

In addition, 46% of Europeans do not believe that the EU is capable of “managing equal relations” with the US or China, 40% are worried about Russian aggression, 55% fear a major war in Europe, and 52% support increasing defense spending.

The authors of the report explained that Trump’s intervention in Venezuela and his territorial ambitions in Greenland indicate that he prefers to keep the US as a power that instills fear, rather than one that is admired in the world. They also added that leaders in Europe must find new ways to conduct themselves in the new reality.

South Korea

Death penalty for former president?

In a legal drama that is rocking South Korea, prosecutors on Tuesday sought the death penalty for former President Yoon Seok-yeol for his failed attempt to declare martial law in December 2024. It is the first sedition trial against a Korean president in nearly three decades.

On December 3, 2024, at 22:27 local time, Yun surprisingly announced martial law. He accused the opposition Democratic Party – which held the majority in parliament – of “anti-state” activities and spreading fake news. Although the crisis only lasted six hours – after 190 members of parliament managed to gather and vote to cancel the order – but the move destabilized South Korea. Yoon was removed from office and his political rival Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party was elected president in an emergency election.

According to the prosecution, Yun planned for over a year to declare a military regime in order to eliminate his political opponents and concentrate power in his hands. The plans included, among other things, torturing government officials and cutting off communication devices from electricity and water. Investigators even accused Yun of ordering drone flights over North Korea in order to provoke a reaction from its neighbor, thus justifying the military regime.

Under South Korean law, insurgent leaders face one of three punishments: death, life imprisonment with hard labor, or life imprisonment without hard labor. The court is expected to announce the verdict in February. However, experts estimate that the demand for the death penalty is mainly a symbolic gesture, and that the final punishment will probably be life imprisonment.

Uganda

The pop singer who aspires to become president

Today (Thursday) Uganda went to the polls in elections that are expected to extend the reign of Yowari Museveni – the 81-year-old president who rules a country of 52 million people – for almost four decades. Facing him is Bobby Wayne, a 43-year-old pop singer who promises a “total reset” for the country, and sweeps the younger generation away.

Museveni, who came to power in Uganda in 1986, is running for his seventh consecutive term. Most Ugandans have never known another president – about 77% of the population is under the age of 35. Museveni was able to stay in power thanks, among other things, to constitutional changes that abolished restrictions on the number of terms and the maximum age for the presidency.

The elections are being held in the shadow of severe opposition repression, when the Ugandan government this week ordered the cellular companies to disrupt Internet access. In Uganda it was reported that the polls opened slowly and with delay, with a heavy presence of the police and the army in the background.

This was also preceded by severe violence against Wayne’s election campaign. The security forces repeatedly dispersed rallies of the young candidate with tear gas, shooting and even kidnapped opposition activists. Hundreds of members of Wayne’s party have been arrested so far according to various reports, and at least one teenager was killed during the break-up of a support rally. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, accused the authorities of a “cruel campaign of repression” against the opposition. The UN even published a report that accused the government of suppressing the opposition. Following the severe violence against its activists, Wayne appears at rallies wearing a vest and helmet.

Hungary

The end of the Urban era?

Hungarian President Tamas Soliuk on Tuesday set parliamentary elections for April 12, as 62-year-old Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the EU’s longest-serving leader, faces his toughest challenge since coming to power in 2010.

For the first time in 16 years, Orban’s nationalist-populist Fidesz party is lagging behind an opposition party in the polls. The Tisa party led by Peter Magyar, a 44-year-old lawyer who belongs to the center-right camp and a former member of the government, leads in most polls.

Magyar broke into the political arena less than two years ago. He built a political movement against the background of much criticism of the economic situation in Hungary, the cost of living and allegations of corruption in public services. He promises to dismantle Orban’s system, fight corruption, and return billions of euros in funding that the European Union has frozen to Budapest.

Orbán, who turned Hungary into an illiberal democracy, consolidated state institutions and took control of most of the media. He describes the election as a choice “between war and peace”, and claims that the Tisa party is “an EU project created in Brussels” that will use Hungary’s funds for the war in Ukraine. Orban refused to hold a televised confrontation with Magyar – his last confrontation with an opponent was before the 2006 elections, in which he lost.