BEIJING, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world, China's impact is becoming increasingly comprehensive, profound, and long-lasting. The global attention on China has never been as wide, deep, and focused as it is today. How does the world view the changes in China? What are the global perspectives on China's development? How does the rest of the world perceive China's image? To find the answers to these questions, the Global Times launched a survey with 51,332 respondents in 46 countries. This is a global public survey with the largest scale, the largest sample size, and the most comprehensive and in-depth questionnaire design since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
About the Survey
The survey was carried out by the Global Times Institute. The survey sample includes 14 developed and 32 developing countries, covering representative countries from every continent and all G20, BRICS, and ASEAN countries, excluding China. The selection of survey subjects, distribution of questionnaires, and data collection were conducted in accordance with industry standards.
The survey methods were adapted to the specific circumstances of each country, employing three approaches: Face-to-face interviews (CAPI/PAPI), computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI), and large-scale online surveys using member sample databases (Online). The survey subjects were ordinary citizens aged 18 to 70. During the data collection process, certain quota limitations were applied to the sample composition based on the demographic characteristics of each country. The survey was conducted from August to November 2024. A total of 51,332 valid sample data sets were collected.
The survey reveals that China's comprehensive national strength and various other strengths are generally evaluated as "strong/high" by international respondents. The country's economic strength has the highest favorable rating at 77 percent, followed by sci-tech strength (75 percent), and financial strength (72 percent). The survey also shows that younger respondents have a higher evaluation of China's sci-tech strength. More than 70 percent of respondents from African countries, BRICS countries, the Middle East, and developing countries believe that China's overall national strength is high; this proportion is more than 60 percent in ASEAN and European countries, and more than half in developed countries.
In the ranking of the international status of major countries, 20 percent, 27 percent, and 17 percent of foreign respondents rate China first, second, and third, respectively. Based on a comprehensive calculation method, China ranks second. The US is ranked first at 47 percent. Russia, Japan, and the UK have similar scores. A relatively large percentage of respondents place Russia in the third place and the UK and Japan in the fourth place.
The survey also finds that a majority of international respondents have a positive outlook regarding the prospects of China's economic growth and development potential. Nearly 80 percent of foreign respondents show confidence in China's development. More than 90 percent of foreign respondents believe that China's economy will continue to grow in the next decade, and nearly 60 percent believe that China is a major driving force of world economic growth. More than three-quarters of respondents from developing countries, the Middle East, and BRICS countries expect faster growth of the Chinese economy. In African countries, this proportion reaches 85 percent. Meanwhile, in Europe and ASEAN regions, it exceeds 70 percent. In developed countries, it surpasses 60 percent.
Some 60 percent of international respondents agree that China's continuously deepening reform and opening-up are "in the right direction." About two-thirds of respondents believe that the future of the Chinese economy is bright and has great potential while about 20 percent expressed a neutral stance. African countries hold the highest favorable view (81 percent), while the proportion of Middle Eastern, BRICS, and developing countries exceeds 70 percent. More than 60 percent of respondents from European and ASEAN countries believe that the Chinese economy is bright and has great potential while more than 50 percent of developed countries hold the same view.
High favorable impression of China
The questionnaire included a question asking respondents to describe their main impression of China over the past year. The results show that the frequently used key words include "economy," "technology/science and technology," "developing/developed," "good," "strong/strong country," "advanced/innovation," "culture/civilization," "goods/products," "large population," and "Chinese food/cuisine." In developed, European, Middle Eastern, and ASEAN countries, the term "economy" is mentioned most frequently, while in developing, African, and BRICS countries, the term "technology" is mentioned most frequently.
The survey also shows that more than 90 percent of foreign respondents have an interest in China and 40 percent have a high level of interest in China, including 14 percent who are "extremely interested" and 26 percent who are "very interested." Respondents in developing countries (95 percent) show a higher interest in China than those in developed countries (86 percent). In terms of subjective sentiment toward China, 63 percent of foreign respondents express a favorable opinion of China, while 20 percent hold a neutral attitude. In terms of different country groups, African countries hold the highest favorable view of China, reaching 84 percent. This figure is more than 70 percent in Latin American, BRICS, and developing countries, with nearly 70 percent in ASEAN countries and more than 60 percent in Middle East countries. Nearly half of European countries have a favorable opinion of China, and about 30 percent hold a neutral attitude.
As for the overall evaluation of China and the Chinese people, nearly 60 percent of foreign respondents have a "good" impression and over 30 percent hold a neutral attitude. 74 percent and 72 percent of respondents have a good impression of Chinese science and technology and China's economic development respectively. More than 60 percent of respondents have a good impression of Chinese culture. 55 percent of foreign respondents have an overall positive impression of the Chinese people, while 36 percent hold a neutral attitude. More than 70 percent of foreign respondents have a good impression of the hardworking and innovative spirit of the Chinese people.
The survey also lists more than 10 representative things about China and asks international respondents whether they like them or not. Among them, the popularity of the Great Wall (67%), high-speed rail (65%), pandas (63%), and smart phones (61%) all exceed 60 percent. More than 50 percent of foreign respondents choose the visa-free transit (57%), electric vehicles (55%), and online shopping (55%). Chinese cuisine (48%) and TikTok (48%) are preferred by nearly half of respondents. Data comparisons show that respondents in developed countries show a relatively higher preference for traditional Chinese symbols like the Great Wall, panda and Chinese cuisine, while respondents in Middle Eastern, BRICS, and African countries express a higher preference for high-speed rail, smart phones, online shopping, electric vehicles, and other new things in China.
China is expected to participate in international affairs more and make greater contributions
Nearly 70 percent (69%) of overseas respondents look to China to participate in international affairs more and play a greater role. Nearly 90 percent (88%) of the respondents support China in actively playing a greater role in relevant international organizations, mechanisms, or platforms. More than 80 percent hope China could make more international contributions in economic and trade cooperation, education, science and technology, and culture; Nearly three-quarters of the respondents look to China to play a greater role in building international order, and maintaining peace and stability.
International respondents' recognition rate of "building a community with a shared future for mankind" reaches 66 percent, and on the three major global initiatives (Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative) and the Belt and Road Initiative, the recognition rate is about 70 percent. In terms of the promotion of "an equal and orderly multi-polar world" and "a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization," more than half of respondents are in agreement, about 30 percent are neutral, and those who disagree are in the single digits.
The rise of the Global South holds great significance for the world's development and change. According to the survey, the majority of foreign respondents agree that China is a member of the Global South, with only 4 percent having an opposite opinion. There is a significantly higher proportion of respondents that hope China will push Global South countries to jointly safeguard world peace, protect the diversity of civilizations, promote economic cooperation, and enhance international discourse power.
Regarding regional hotspots, survey data shows that more than 60 percent of foreign respondents expect China to take part more in Middle East affairs, and play a bigger role in the future. In Middle Eastern countries, the proportion reaches three-quarters, with more than half of the respondents expressing high expectations. More than half of respondents hold favorable views about China's call for ceasefire between Palestine and Israel and the UNGA resolution calling for humanitarian truce in Gaza, more than 20 percent are neutral, and very few are in disapproval. In terms of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, 46 percent of respondents look to China to participate in coordination, and 10 percent hope that China will "stay out of related affairs."
Hope for a stable and improving China-US relationship
The state of China-US relations concerns both countries and affects the world as a whole. The survey finds that currently, international opinion generally favors a stable and improving China-US relationship. Statistics show that more than 70 percent of respondents hope that China-US relations will be "eased" or "maintain the status quo" in the future, and only about one in ten of the respondents hope that it will head "toward conflict." In the US, 38 percent of respondents hope that China-US relations could be "eased," twice more than those who choose "toward conflict" (18%). The survey also finds that in the last year, Americans' favorable impression of China has improved.
In terms of the most proper solution for the South China Sea, more than 60 percent of respondents from ASEAN countries express support for the countries concerned to engage in negotiation and consultation, shelve differences and seek joint development, with 65 percent of respondents from the Philippines choosing this option.
Being friendly with China, a shared aspiration
China has established diplomatic relations with 183 countries, and become the main trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions. The survey finds that more than 80 percent of foreign respondents believe their countries' relationship with China is friendly, normal, and strategically cooperative, and 10 percent of respondents see China as a "competitor."
Statistics suggest that most respondents from African countries consider China a "strategic cooperative partner" or "friendly country"; people in developing, ASEAN, Middle Eastern, and BRICS countries have a relatively high percentage of seeing China as a "strategic cooperative partner," a "friendly country" or a "country with normal relations."
In European countries, the proportion of respondents that consider China a "friendly country" or a "country with normal relations" is relatively high, while for developed countries as a whole, the proportion of those seeing China as a "country with normal relations" is relatively high.
When asked about the future change of China's relationship with their own countries, 62 percent of international respondents hope to see improvement, and 26 percent hope the relationship will remain unchanged. In African countries, more than 80 percent of respondents hope that their home countries will have a better relationship with China; in developing, Middle Eastern, and the BRICS countries, the proportion is near 70 percent; in ASEAN countries, the proportion is more than 60 percent. 95 percent of international respondents welcome Chinese visitors to their countries, with tourism being the most preferred purpose (64%), followed by investment (50%), work (46%), and study or academic visits (45%). With China's implementation of visa-free transit policy, almost 70 percent of respondents have expressed willingness to visit China in the future.
Data from the survey also shows that young people have more interest in, better impression of, greater passion for, and higher approval of China. For instance, in terms of interest in China and the expectation for greater Chinese participation in international affairs, respondents under the age of 40 who hold favorable opinions outnumber those in the 40-plus age group by more than 5 percentage points. Among the options of having a favorable impression of China, being willing to visit China, and understanding China's major initiatives/concepts, the proportion of the former group is 10 percentage points higher than that of the latter group.
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