CGTN Poll: African youth hail China-Africa cooperation achievements

The African people are in the best position to say what development path is best for Africa. China is a reliable partner for Africa on its path to modernization. According to a survey conducted by CGTN and Renmin University of China through the New Era International Communication Research Institute for African respondents, young African respondents aged 18 to 24 fully affirm the concept and achievements of Chinese modernization and development and have high expectations for the achievements of China-Africa practical cooperation in various fields in the new era.

The survey found that the young respondents generally have a high favorable impression of China. In the survey, 98.7 percent of the youth view China as a successful country, 96.1 percent of them think China is an important country, 94.4 percent believe China is a country worthy of respect, and 96.7 percent expect to travel, study or visit China.

The highly favorable impression of the surveyed young people on China is mainly due to their high recognition of the concept and achievements of Chinese modernization and development, especially in the fields of economy and science and technology. In the survey, 97.1 percent of respondents believe China is economically strong, 98.2 percent praise China for maintaining rapid economic growth, and 95.8 percent think that China's economy has made a significant contribution to the global economic recovery.

Besides, 99 percent of respondents are impressed by China's technological strength, 90.5 percent of the young people surveyed think the original innovative capabilities of China have made rapid progress, and 97.8 percent of them believe China's science and technology industries have made significant contributions to global technological progress.

The efficient and practical China-Africa cooperation has injected impetus into the sound and steady development of China-Africa relations and won high recognition from African youth. China and Africa continue to deepen their cooperation through mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The achievements span multiple fields, including trade and economics, infrastructure, and public welfare. The construction of the China-Africa community with a shared future is advancing steadily and continuously benefiting the peoples of both sides.

In the survey, 89.9 percent of the young African respondents believe African countries have benefited a lot from trade with China, 94.9 percent think it is very important for Africa to maintain healthy and stable economic and trade relations with China, 88.8 percent feel China-Africa cooperation has significantly improved the conditions for Africa's economic and social development, and 90.4 percent believe Chinese investment has brought valuable development opportunities for Africa.

The remarkable achievements in building a China-Africa community with a shared future have attracted global attention. African respondents are full of confidence and anticipation for the future of China-Africa relations. In the survey, 91.8 percent of youth respondents support African countries participating in international cooperation projects initiated by China, while 89.5 percent look forward to participating in Chinese cultural promotion activities. In addition, 88.2 percent of the respondents expect China and African countries to jointly safeguard the development interests of countries in the Global South, 89.8 percent of the young people surveyed believe China-Africa cooperation has injected strong impetus into world peace and development and is of great significance to promoting the building of a more equitable and reasonable international order.

The survey was conducted with 10,125 respondents from 10 African countries, including Cameroon, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania. Among them, 3,710 respondents (36.6 percent) are young people aged 18 to 24.

(Cover: Themed flower beds for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Beijing, China, September 2, 2024. /CFP. Images designed by CGTN's Li Wenyi.)