CGTN Poll: 83% of respondents laud the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

Mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, put forward by China 70 years ago, continue to gain vitality in today's turbulent international community. 

According to a poll of global respondents released by CGTN, 82 percent of respondents praise China as an important force in maintaining world peace. Meanwhile, 83.5 percent of the respondents highly appreciate the values of sovereignty, justice and democracy conveyed in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and believe that China will contribute to building a better world for the international community.

After 70 years of extensive practice, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have become a visible, tangible, feasible and repeatable norm for managing international relations. Among them, the principle of sovereign equality has gained broad international recognition. Countries should respect each other's core interests and major concerns. According to the data, 80.8 percent of the respondents believe that countries should uphold equality and mutual benefit and oppose hegemonism, power politics and arbitrary sanctions against other countries.

The world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, and the deficits in peace, development, security and governance are worsening. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, along with the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative collectively, exemplify China's principles and action plan for participating in global governance.

In the survey, 78.4 percent of respondents believe development is the fundamental solution to global governance issues. Meanwhile, 82 percent believe countries should focus on the special needs of developing countries and strive to address the imbalances and inadequacies in development between countries. Another 84.7 percent of respondents call for countries to uphold diverse cooperation to safeguard global economic stability and development. 

Security is a prerequisite for development, and 85.6 percent of respondents urge countries to build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. Another 79.4 percent believe leading countries should actively take international responsibilities commensurate with their national capabilities. Meanwhile, 85 percent stress avoiding confrontation and division and maintaining global unity through inclusiveness and cooperation. 

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are enshrined in China's constitution and form the cornerstone of its foreign policy. China is increasingly involved in global governance, continuously offering Chinese solutions and wisdom. The survey results show that global citizens highly appreciate China's efforts to promote a more fair and equitable international order. According to the poll, 74.4 percent of respondents believe China's foreign policy contributes to world peace. Meanwhile, 84.7 percent of respondents think their country should maintain good relations with China, and 76.4 percent look forward to China, as a responsible major country, continuing to make positive contributions to the world.

The above data comes from two global polls initiated by CGTN. A total of 11,706 respondents from 36 countries worldwide, including developed countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, and developing countries, such as Pakistan, India, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico, participated in the polls.