Chinese like Americans as people but fear the United States is trying to prevent Beijing from rising on the global stage, state media said on Sunday, citing a recent survey.
Almost 80 per cent of the respondents said they "feel good" about people from the United States, the Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the results of the survey conducted on behalf of the Global Times, a state-run newspaper.
At the same time 60 per cent agreed that the United States is striving to contain China, and just 16 per cent characterised the United States as a friendly country.
The survey was conducted in the big cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Wuhan.
Xinhua did not report when the survey was carried out, how many people participated, or the margins of error.
The Chinese have a love-hate relationship with the United States, mixing admiration for its economic and military power with fears that the world's most influential nation will seek to curb rivalry from an emerging China.