New poll says U.S. influence to diminish in Asia-Pacific

People across the Asia-Pacific believe that the influence of the United States is to diminish in the region over the next decade, according to a recent survey carried out by researchers in Sydney.

The poll, conducted by the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre, surveyed 750 people each in Australia, Japan, South Korea, China and Indonesia, focusing on Washington's staying power in Asia during the past, present and future.

The result of the survey shows that majorities in every country report that the United States' best years are in the past, ranging from 82 percent in China, 80 percent in Australia and South Korea, to 68 percent and 61 percent in Indonesia and Japan, respectively.

"Respondents across the Asia-Pacific tend to agree that we are either seeing, or have seen, the high-water mark of American power," says the report released last week.

Yet, in almost every instance, respondents report wanting a stronger relationship with the United States.

As to China's influence in Asia, overwhelming majorities of respondents in three out of five countries see China as the most influential country in Asia over the decade to come, the exceptions being Indonesia and Japan.

Tom Switzer, a research associate at the centre, concluded that the survey shows "the region is preparing for the end of America's unipolar moment of post-Cold War global leadership." Endi