CGTN Poll: China, U.S. youths value mutual benefit in bilateral ties

"As the largest developing and developed countries in the world today, China and the United States will both exist on this planet for a long time, so they must coexist peacefully," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday at a press conference during the ongoing Two Sessions in Beijing.

A recent CGTN poll found that both Chinese and Americans believe that mutual respect and mutual benefit are the common consensuses of China-U.S. ties.

While assessing trade frictions between both countries, Wang asked, "What has the United States gained from the tariff war and the trade war? Is the trade deficit widening or shrinking? Has manufacturing become more competitive or less so? Is inflation getting better or worse? Are people better off or worse off?"

Respondents in both countries expressed belief that mutual benefit is the fundamental solution to economic and trade issues, with 87.3 percent of those in China and 78.5 percent of U.S. participants agreeing with this view.

When qualifying China-U.S. economic and trade relations, 66.4 percent of Chinese respondents chose "cooperation and competition," and 17.7 percent thought "competition" better suits the nature of bilateral ties. Meanwhile, 43.1 percent of American respondents opted for "co-existence of cooperation and competition" and 22.7 percent went for "competitive relationship."

Respondents were of the opinion that structural problems in economic and trade relations can be viewed calmly and resolved through dialogue and other proper channels. China and the United States have broad common interests and space for cooperation, and can be partners in achieving mutual success and common prosperity. A whopping 98.2 percent of Chinese respondents and 92.6 percent of their U.S. counterparts strongly agreed with this view.

In terms of competitive advantage, Chinese respondents believe that the United States is more prominent than China in the development of biotechnology (68.9 percent), artificial intelligence (43 percent) and space exploration (38.7 percent). Americans, on the other hand, see China as performing better than their country in manufacturing technology (52.9 percent), consumer electronics (44.9 percent) and artificial intelligence (43 percent).

Among the expectations for the future development of China-U.S. relations, the areas in which Chinese youth respondents most want to deepen cooperation include artificial intelligence (54 percent), e-commerce (41.5 percent) and healthcare (38.1 percent). American respondents want to strengthen cooperation in manufacturing (53 percent), clean energy (36.4 percent) and environmental protection (33.2 percent).

Surveyed people also expressed a strong desire to enhance exchanges. In China, 76.8 percent of respondents and 80.7 percent of American respondents said that young people of the two countries share common values and interests.

Meanwhile, 79.6 percent of those in China and 75.6 percent of those in the U.S. believe that popular culture is an effective way to enhance mutual understanding.

U.S. respondents showed strong interest in Chinese social platforms (41.1 percent), animation (34.4 percent), video games (27 percent), movies and TV series (25.2 percent) and fashion trends (23.4 percent).

In terms of promoting China-U.S. youth exchange channels, Chinese youth respondents hoped to enhance mutual understanding by conducting joint research projects (49.4 percent), strengthening social media interaction (47.9 percent), and organizing student exchange programs (43.4 percent). Young Americans were more interested in joint research projects (39.9 percent), more cultural exchanges (39.7 percent) and language learning (37.7 percent).

The survey was conducted by CGTN and Renmin University of China, through the New Era International Communication Research Institute, and involved 4,003 people aged 18 to 45 in China and the United States. The survey covered all 50 states of the United States and Washington, D.C., and in China, it covered 16 major cities across the country, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xi'an.

(Cover: A student from the Second School Affiliated to Fudan University (L) introduces Chinese knots to a student from Muscatine High School in Shanghai, east China, January 28, 2024. /Xinhua)