On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global survey conducted by China Media Group (CMG) and Renmin University of China (RUC) through the New Era International Communication Research Institute shows that global youth aged 18 to 44 highly acknowledge the core concepts of the BRI and highly appreciate its extraordinary achievements over the past decade.
In the survey, 84.6 percent of global youth laud the Silk Road spirit, characterized by "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit." The survey also found that the younger the respondents, the higher their recognition of the Silk Road spirit. Among the respondents aged 18 to 24, as many as 88.8 percent speak highly of the Silk Road spirit.
By June 2023, China had signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations across five continents. Regarding the reasons for the popularity of the BRI, 86.8 percent of the young people surveyed attribute it to "adhering to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits." Meanwhile, 83.1 percent of them say the concepts of "openness, transparency and inclusiveness" attract them. In the survey, another 86.4 percent of the young believe that the BRI pursues high-quality development and that the results are laudable.
The BRI has become the world's largest platform for international cooperation.
According to the survey, up to 95.2 percent of global youth said that the achievements of the BRI during the past 10 years have met their expectations, with the approval rating among those aged 18 to 24 standing at 97.1 percent.
Regarding the specific achievements of the BRI, 85.3 percent of the respondents said the BRI has effectively enhanced mutual trust among countries, with 85.1 percent saying that the BRI has helped participating countries to make up for the shortcomings in infrastructure. In addition, 83.8 percent, 81.8 percent and 80.3 percent of the young people in the survey, respectively, say the BRI has facilitated business exchanges, broadened investment channels and improved people's living standards.
In the survey, as many as 85.8 percent of the global youth praise the BRI for helping countries to jointly build a broad community of shared interests. Eighty-three percent of the respondents also believe that the BRI brings stability to today's turbulent world by calling for peace, development and win-win cooperation.
The global poll was conducted among 3,857 respondents in 35 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, Thailand, Nigeria, Peru and Mexico. The upper age limit for young respondents is 44 years old, according to the United Nations.
(Cover: Newly arranged "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum theme landscape in Beijing, October 14, 2023. /CFP)