A zero-sum mentality about China-US relations is reflected not only in the thinking of some US politicians, but also in a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center

At the same time, 78 percent believe the current economic situation is good, and 57 percent are satisfied with the direction of the country, a 21 percentage-point increase from 2014, the last time this question was asked in the PhilippinesAnd despite the Philippines being the most pro-Trump nation in Pew's spring 37-country survey, confidence in Trump now is lower than it was in then-President Barack Obama in 2015

The Philippines under Duterte has tried to develop an independent foreign policy rather than being a US puppet most of the timeSince becoming Philippines president in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has refused to be used by the US to advance its strategyThat was certainly not the policy under Obama when he launched the US pivot-to-Asia policy, trying to gang up US allies on China

And on global economic status, about half of Filipinos (49 percent) say that the US is still the leading economic power, but that is down from 66 percent who said so in 2015The survey released on Sept 21 bore a title saying people in the Philippines still favor the United States over China, but that the gap is narrowing

This represents a dramatic shift since that question was last asked in 2015

Such an independent policy is dealing a heavy blow to those who still view the relationship between the three countries as zero-sum"We believe as a united Iowa agricultural delegation, we can find opportunities that are beneficial to both China and Iowa," Reynolds said

According to Allen Williams, the business development manager at the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the state has had more inquiries from China in recent months than in the previous two or three yearsOur relationship with the country is strong, and their growing middle class means increasing purchasing power, and Iowa stands to gain significantly as a result

US beef had been banned from China since 2003 due to a mad cow disease scare" When Branstad was receiving a Chinese trade delegation as Iowa governor in March, he remarked that he would like to be able to enjoy a bite of US beef at the US embassy in Beijing