Concern about a threat from China is felt more strongly in Japan than in any other G7 or BRIC country, according to an annual study of global risks conducted by the Munich Security Conference.

The study interviewed 12,000 people in the G7 countries – the U.S., the U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – and in the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China), as well as South Africa, to compile an index of concerns about perceived global threats. It ranks the countries on a scale from zero (low concern) to 100 (high).

Japanese concerns about China topped the chart with 70 points, followed by South Africa at 68, and Canada and India at 60.

The United States followed with 58 points, just ahead of Brazil at 56 and the United Kingdom at 52.

The perceived threat from China is felt less intensely in France and Italy, both at 49 points, and Germany with 45. The lowest was Russia at 21 points, reflecting little concern about China.

In China, respondents were most worried about a perceived threat from the U.S., but its 44-point score showed either a relatively low sense of risk or strong confidence in China’s strength.

Tobias Bunde, one of the report’s main authors, cited U.S. President Joe Biden as saying that the world was at an inflection point and democracies “need to get their act together.”

“Transatlantic leaders seem to have reached a consensus, that cooperation among the world’s major democracies must be strengthened to meet our common challenges,” said Bunde.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play