CGTN Poll: 80% of French respondents praise China's global influence

Over 80 percent of French respondents to a new poll believe China is a great and influential country, and 70.3 percent regard China as a successful country.

The survey of 1,513 French respondents was conducted by China Media Group, CGTN and Renmin University of China through the New Era International Communication Research Institute ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled state visit to France.

China's achievements are praised

The French respondents to the survey praised the achievements of China's high-quality economic development and high-level opening up.

A total of 91.5 percent of respondents said they appreciate China's strong economic strength, including 95.9 percent of those aged 18 to 24 and 97.2 percent of those with high incomes.

In addition, 89.8 percent of respondents said they believe China's economy is growing fast, and 72.7 percent agreed that the China has made an outstanding contribution to the world economy. Some 88.8 percent said China is strong in science and technology, a view which 89.3 percent and 89.4 percent of those aged 45 to 54 and over 55, respectively, agreed with. 

A further 76.8 percent of respondents recognized China's efforts in scientific and technological innovation in recent years. Some 71.4 percent of them said China's rapid rise in science and technology has injected new impetus into global innovation in science and technology.

Promising prospects for China-France cooperation

In the 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, trade between the two countries has increased by more than 800 times. 

France is now China's third-largest trading partner and third-largest source of actual investment in the European Union, and China is France's top trading partner in Asia and seventh-largest in the world. Furthermore, France will be the guest of honor at this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services and the Seventh China International Import Expo. 

In the survey, 86.2 percent of the respondents said they believe that Chinese enterprises have a great influence in the international market, and 66.2 percent of them said China's business environment is attractive to investors. 

Another 56.7 percent said China is crucial to the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and 58.8 percent of the respondents agreed that the huge scale of the Chinese market offers broad development opportunities for French companies. 

In addition, 65.8 percent of respondents aged 18-24 agreed that France should participate in international cooperation projects promoted by China.

China-France cooperation sets model for world

"The unique history of China-France relations has shaped the unique 'China-France spirit'," Xi said at a celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said that "there is so much for us to do together," which indicates the enduring importance of China-France relations. 

A total of 76.7 percent of the respondents believe that China is a strategically independent country, and that China has pursued an independent foreign policy. Some 75.3 percent of the respondents aged 18-24 said China is a responsible country and added that they expect China to play a greater role in the process of global governance.

More than seven in 10 of the respondents (71.7 percent) said they believe that the China-France relationship is one of the most important in the world, while 61.6 percent said they were optimistic about future developments and expected the two sides to further strengthen cooperation on economy and trade, science and technology, and geopolitical issues. 

In addition, as many as 65.1 percent said close cooperation between China and France in international affairs is conducive to promoting world peace and development.

China-France mutually beneficial cooperation

The European Parliament has defined China as a "competitor" and "institutional rival" of the European Union. However, only 18.5 percent of the respondents said differences between China and France outweigh common interests, and the proportion of respondents who said they believe that "common interests outweigh differences" between China and France was twice as high as that of "differences outweigh common interests."

In the survey, 82.4 percent of the respondents said they have been exposed to Chinese cultural products to some extent. In addition, 62.7 percent said they are looking forward to traveling to China, with natural scenery (69 percent), Chinese cuisine (63.1 percent) and history and culture (61.6 percent) being the most interesting items to them.

The survey used a sampling quota design based on the age distribution of the French census. The survey content includes several parts, including the overall perception of China's national image, the concrete perception of China's national policies, the perception of China-France relations and the perception of China-Europe relations.

(Cover: Chinese and French artists perform during a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the opening ceremony of the Year of Culture and Tourism between China and France at the Royal Opera House of Versailles in Paris, France, January 31, 2024. /CFP)