MOSCOW -- Three quarters of the Russian people have expressed their positive sentiments toward China, according to a public opinion poll released Thursday.

Asked by the independent pollster Levada Center about which country they trust the most of all, 76 percent of the 1,600 respondents chose China, an increase of 2 percentage points compared to the poll conducted in November 2014.

Meanwhile, negative feelings toward the West have been strong among the Russians, with only 24 percent of them said they are in favor of the European Union and 19 percent expressed positive attitude toward the United States.

The most positive image in Russian eyes belongs to Belarus, with 85 percent of the respondents revealed their favorable feelings.

Over Ukraine, 31 percent of respondents expressed favorable impression and 55 percent with negative feelings.

The poll was conducted on March 20-23.