Washington ( CNN ) -- Americans are split over whether China represents a military threat to the United States -- but there is no doubt in the public 's mind that the country poses an economic threat , according to a new national poll . According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday , 51 percent of the public consider China a military threat , with 47 percent disagreeing . That 4-point margin is within the poll 's 4.5 percent sampling error . The poll 's release coincides with U.S. President Barack Obama 's first visit to China to bolster relations . At a town hall meeting on Monday he made the case to Chinese students that the two countries ' philosophical differences should not get in the way of a robust relationship . According to the survey , two-thirds see China as a source of unfair competition for U.S. companies , while only a quarter are more likely to view China as a huge potential market for U.S. goods . `` That may be why 71 percent of Americans consider China an economic threat to the U.S. , '' says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . `` Americans tend to view foreign countries as competition , and China is no exception . '' Only a quarter of those questioned in the poll say that China has a good track record on human rights . Sixty-eight percent suggested that China is doing a bad job respecting the human rights of its citizens . The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted November 13-15 , with 1,014 adult Americans questioned by telephone . CNN 's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report .
71 percent of Americans polled consider China an economic threat . More than 1,000 adult Americans were questioned by telephone . Poll coincides with Obama 's visit to China .