Nearly 80% of foreign respondents show confidence in China’s development prospect in first survey on China’s international

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.