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Washington, March 23 (CNA) Seventy-eight percent of Americans say that Communist China, armed with nuclear weapons, would be a serious threat to the United States, and 81 percent say it would be a serious threat to world peace, according to the latest Gallup poll released Thursday.

The poll, based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,024 adults conducted March 17-19, also shows that despite Beijing's recent threats toward Taiwan over its March 18 presidential election -- won by a party that favors Taiwan independence -- Americans by a margin of 52 percent to 37 percent say US military power should not be used to help Taiwan if Communist China attacks.

The poll finds that 27 percent of Americans say Taiwan is an ally; 26 percent say Taiwan is friendly but not an ally; 8 percent say Taiwan is unfriendly but not an enemy; and only 3 percent say Taiwan is an enemy of the United States. Another 36 percent have no opinion about Taiwan.

Four percent of Americans believe the People's Republic of China is an ally; 24 percent say it is friendly but not an ally; 32 percent say the PRC is unfriendly but not an enemy; 21 percent say it is an enemy of the United States; and 19 percent have no opinion.

By a margin of 48 percent to 38 percent, Americans support the recent agreement between Washington and Beijing that would allow the PRC to join the World Trade Organization. Still, 56 percent of Americans say they have an unfavorable opinion of Communist-ruled China, and only 35 percent say their opinion is favorable, according to the Gallup poll.

While the American public's feelings toward the PRC do not seem to be strongly related to party affiliation, the possibility of permanent normal trade relations with that country does solicit greater support from Democrats than Republicans -- a contrast to the partisan differences among members of Congress, in which Republicans, more so than Democrats, favor the agreement, said the Gallup Organization.

The survey group added that for results based on the whole sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. (By Nelson Chung)