CGTN Poll: Peru looks to build "Peruvian model" for Global South cooperation

Peru is China's neighbor on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. The increasingly close economic and trade cooperation, along with cultural exchanges, continues to bring China and Peru closer together as trans-oceanic friends and neighbors. During Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Peru, CGTN, in collaboration with the New Era International Communication Research Institute and the Center for Advanced National Studies of Peru, launched a survey titled "Peru's Favorability towards China in 2024" to 1,111 Peruvian respondents for the first time. In the survey, respondents generally gave positive evaluations of the traditional friendship between China and Peru, as well as the achievements of practical cooperation, expressing hope for building a "Peruvian model" for China-Latin America relations and fostering high-level cooperation among "Global South" countries.

Peru is one of the first Latin American countries to establish diplomatic ties with New China and a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. The two sides are good friends with sincerity and mutual trust and good partners for common development. In the survey, 89.6 percent of the Peruvian respondents have a favorable impression of China. 97.7 percent of the respondents believe that China is an important country. 97.2 percent of the respondents believe that China is a successful country. 91.5 percent of the respondents believe that China is an attractive country. 91.2 percent of them believe that China is a country worthy of respect. In addition, the Peruvian respondents also express a high willingness to come to China. 94 percent of them look forward to traveling, visiting or studying in China. Among young respondents aged 18 to 24, the percentage is even higher at 95.9 percent.

Peru is the first Latin American country to sign a package of free trade agreements with China, and China has been Peru's largest trading partner and largest export market for ten years in a row. In June this year, negotiations on upgrading the China-Peru Free Trade Agreement were substantially completed, further enhancing the convenience and openness of trade between the two countries. In the survey, Peruvian respondents fully affirm the results of the practical cooperation between the two countries and look forward to deepening solid cooperation in the future. Among them, 86.1 percent of respondents believe that Peru has benefited greatly from its trade relations with China. 77.6 percent of respondents say that the economic and trade relations between China and Peru are fair and reciprocal. 93 percent of respondents say that China's huge market provides sufficient development opportunities for Peru and Latin American countries. Additionally, 93.6 percent of respondents look forward to deepening practical cooperation in various fields between China, Peru and other Latin American countries, with the top three fields being science and technology (87.7 percent), economy and trade (87.2 percent), and education (65.9 percent).

As the world's largest developing country, China's achievements and concepts of modernization have provided valuable experience and broad opportunities for the "Global South" countries. The survey found that Peruvian respondents highly affirm China's achievements in high-quality development and high-level opening up. Among them, 97.2 percent of the respondents praise China's rapid economic growth. 94.8 percent of the respondents believe that China's economy will be good in the long run. 89.9 percent of the respondents say that China is crucial to the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain. 85.7 percent believe that China is a huge market with its own openness and fair competition. 96.6 percent of the respondents praise China for its outstanding contribution to the recovery of the world economy.

At present, China has signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative with 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and Peru is the first country in Latin America to join the Belt and Road Initiative. This year, a number of China-Peru co-constructed Belt and Road projects, represented by Chancay Port, have made important progress and will effectively serve local economic and social development. In the survey, 78.3 percent of respondents support Peru's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. Additionally, 75.2 percent of respondents believe that the co-construction of the Belt and Road Initiative has had a positive impact on the economic and social development of Latin American countries, with cooperation in the fields of import and export investment and trade (64.4 percent), infrastructure construction (61.7 percent), and education and culture (59.8 percent) being the most anticipated. Moreover, 92.4 percent of respondents say that under the framework of Belt and Road cooperation, they expect more Chinese companies to invest in Latin American countries in the future. Finally, 94.3 percent of respondents are optimistic about the future development of China-Peru relations and China-Latin America relations.

The survey was designed with a sampling quota based on the age, gender and regional distribution characteristics of the Peruvian population, covering Peru's general impression of China, economic cooperation with China, political relations with China and cultural exchanges with China, among other aspects.