CGTN poll: Why confidence in China is becoming an international consensus

As profound transformations unseen in a century accelerate globally, intertwined challenges – from security disorder and development imbalance to governance deficits – grow increasingly complex. Against this background, certainty represents not only confidence but also opportunity in a turbulent world. Findings from a three-year global survey by CGTN, covering 59,000 respondents across 46 countries, show that China – by focusing on doing its own work, upholding the beauty of each civilization and the diversity of civilizations in the world, and standing on the right side of history – continues to inject certainty into the international community. Having confidence in China has become a broad-based global consensus.

'Focusing on doing its own work': Confidence in China's economy rises for three consecutive years

Comparative data from the past three years show that global respondents fully affirm the concept and achievements of China's high-quality economic development and express confidence in the strength, potential, resilience, and prospects of the Chinese economy. The  2025 survey reveals that 78 percent of respondents believe that China's ability to withstand risks is continuously increasing; 81.9 percent are optimistic about the long-term sound development trends; and 84.7 percent view China's economy as crucial to the stability of the global industrial and supply chains – all marking growth for three consecutive years. Among these indicators, confidence in China's economic risk-resistance capacity has risen most sharply, up 34.3 percentage points over the three years. Meanwhile, 89.5 percent recognize China's strong economic strength, with approval exceeding 90 percent among respondents aged 18 to 44. Additionally, 86.4 percent acknowledge China's significant contribution to the global economy – led by respondents from Africa (95.6 percent), South America (92.9 percent), and Asia (85.5 percent).

Amid rising anti-globalization, protectionism, and unilateralism, China has maintained its commitment to opening up. In the 2025 survey, 79.8 percent of the respondents rated China's business environment as highly attractive to foreign investors, up 6.1 percentage points within three years. Similarly, 72.6 percent of identified China as an open and competitive market nd nearly 80 percent believe the country's super-large market offers significant opportunities for their own economies. Another 78 percent believe their countries have benefited from trade with China. Among them, respondents from Africa (90.6 percent), South America (84.9 percent) and Oceania (78.3 percent) rank top three in terms of regional favorability, with the recognition rate exceeding 81 percent among respondents aged 18 to 44.

'Upholding the beauty of each civilization and the diversity of civilizations in the world': Civilized China continues to empower the turbulent world

Following the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative has received positive global feedback, offering a Chinese approach to addressing shared challenges. In the 2025 survey, 90.8 percent of respondents agreed that respecting diversity is a fundamental principle, while 90.2 percent believed joint efforts are essential to tackle global issues. Additionally, 88.5 percent indicated that cultural innovation is as important as traditional protection and 89.4 percent called for strengthening international cultural exchanges to promote mutual understanding among people of all countries. Furthermore, 77 percent credited Chinese culture with significant contributions to world civilization, and 75.5 percent viewed Chinese culture has highly influential – with recognition rates above 85 percent in Africa and South America. Respondents aged 25 to 34 showed the strongest at 83.3 percent. 

It is worth mentioning that 60.6 percent regard innovation as the most prominent feature of Chinese civilization, with technological innovation being particularly remarkable. Another 77.2 percent pay high attention to Chinese technology and its applications, surpassing the attention paid to Chinese lifestyle, traditional culture and popular culture. In the continuous three-year survey, over 90 percent of the global respondents believe that China's scientific and technological strength is strong. Meanwhile, the recognition of China's contribution to the world of science and technology and its innovation ability both exceed 80 percent within this group. The survey also shows that 80.8 percent unanimously believe that China is leading the formulation of global standards for artificial intelligence. Respondents from 14 countries, including Kenya and Indonesia, recorded approval rates of over 90 percent, while those from 16 countries, including Brazil and Turkey, reported rates of above 80 percent. Among the G7 countries, more than 60 percent of respondents in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Canada shared this view.

'Standing on the right side of history': China's diplomacy becomes a new model for global governance

Facing global governance challenges, China remains a key force for peace, unity, openness, justice and inclusiveness. The concept of a community with a shared future for humanity has increasingly gained international recognition. In the 2025, 66.8 percent of the respondents approve of the concept – with higher recognition from Asia, North America, Oceania and Africa, and a 73.6 recognition approval  among those under 34. rate all exceed the global average. More than 60 percent gave positive evaluations on the value and significance of the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, among which the majority believe that the concept is "beneficial to the development of their own countries" and "in line with the development concepts and goals of their own countries."

Looking at the data over the past three years, it shows that 68.7 percent of the respondents appreciate China's path of peaceful development, an increase of 16.4 percentage points over the three years, while 63.5 percent of the respondents believe that China's foreign policy respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, up 10.5 percentage points over the past three years. Another 62.7 percent believe that China bears the responsibilities and obligations of a major country, while 69 percent of the respondents praised China's active participation in global governance. Among the 46 surveyed countries, respondents from 45 countries shared this view, accounting for 97.8 percent of the total number of surveyed countries. In the survey, 73.6 percent of the respondents believe that China's diplomacy has become a new model for global governance, and this view is highly praised by respondents from the Global South. Among the G7 countries, the recognition rates of respondents from Italy and the United Kingdom are 69 percent and 64.2 percent respectively, while the recognition rates of respondents from the United States, Canada, France and Germany are all above 50 percent.

The surveys was jointly conducted by CGTN and Renmin University of China through the Institute of New Era International Communication. They were carried out over three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025, involving a total of 59,000 respondents from 46 countries around the world. The surveys covered major developed countries and the Global South countries. The respondents are people aged 18 and above, and the sample is in line with the age and gender distribution of the national censuses.