Six in 10 Filipinos distrust China and consider it the country’s greatest threat, according to the latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey conducted by OCTA Research. While distrust remains high, the figure has dropped significantly compared to July 2025.
The survey revealed that only 13% of Filipinos said they trust China, slightly down from 15% in July 2025, while 26% remain undecided. Distrust levels were consistent across regions, ranging from 56% in the Visayas to 62% in the National Capital Region. Mindanao recorded the highest trust level at 18%.
Despite the strong sentiment, OCTA noted a 25-point decline in distrust from 85% in July 2025.
“Overall, the findings indicate broad-based distrust toward China across demographic, regional, and socioeconomic groups. While small pockets of higher trust exist in specific regions and among younger age groups, skepticism remains the dominant sentiment nationwide, with ambivalence persisting among roughly one in four adult Filipinos,” the survey stated.
“The trends suggest that while trust in China edged downward slightly, the more pronounced change over time has been a reduction in expressed distrust. This shift coincides with a corresponding increase in ambivalence, indicating that changes in sentiment are driven less by growing trust and more by movement away from strongly negative views,” it added.
Meanwhile, 79% of respondents identified China as the Philippines’ biggest threat, followed by Russia at 5% and the United States at 4%. The perception of China as the top threat rose from 74% in July 2025.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above nationwide from December 3 to 11, 2025, with a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level.