Editor's note: Warwick Powell is an adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology. This article reflects the author's opinion not necessarily those of CGTN's.

In an era of relentless information warfare and competing global narratives, one might expect the side with the slickest messaging to dominate. Yet recent evidence suggests otherwise. A June 2026 Pew Research Center survey across 36 countries reveals a notable shift: In 25 nations, more respondents held favorable views of China than of the United States — the first time Pew has recorded this outcome in roughly two decades of tracking. China's favorability reached a median of around 46%, while the US sat at 36%. This reversal is particularly pronounced in middle-income and Global South countries.

This outcome challenges assumptions about the supremacy of creative propaganda. China is not renowned for flashy public diplomacy. Its official communications often carry a staid, bureaucratic tone — repetitive emphasis on "win-win cooperation,""mutual respect," and a "community of shared future." Compared to the sharp, adaptive, culturally attuned narratives emanating from Western capitals, it may appear lumbering and dull. Yet this "steady as she goes" posture, paired with a deliberate "let actions speak" philosophy, is delivering measurable results where it arguably matters most: among nations charting their development paths in a multipolar world.

Actions as the ultimate messenger

At the heart of China's model is a consistent focus on tangible delivery over rhetorical flourish. For years, the country has prioritized large-scale infrastructure, trade expansion, and investment — often under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative and complementary bilateral arrangements. Ports upgraded, railways constructed, power plants commissioned, and industrial corridors developed — these are not abstract pledges but concrete realities visible on the ground. Impacted communities experience expanded connectivity, job creation, and market access. Governments see sovereign-friendly partnerships that emphasize non-interference and mutual economic benefit.

This approach aligns rhetoric with reality. China's messaging, though metronomic and sometimes cumbersome, simply frames what the deeds already demonstrate: Patient, scalable engagement aimed at shared growth. There is little hyperbole to undermine credibility when projects materialize. In regions hungry for infrastructure and reliable trading partners, such consistency builds trust through repetition and results rather than spectacle.

Pew's 2026 data underscores this effectiveness. Positive appraisals of China are strongest in Latin America, parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and other middle-income settings. Here, respondents often view China as contributing more reliably to economic opportunities. By contrast, views remain cooler in high-income countries and among certain neighbors with acute security sensitivities — Japan recording some of the lowest favorability toward China, for instance. These variances reflect differing national contexts: Development priorities in the Global South versus security alliances and values-based concerns in parts of the Global North. Historical colonial legacies also play a role. Nations with lived experience of external interference or extractive relationships often respond more favorably to a partner that foregrounds sovereignty and practical cooperation.

China's success is not that it excels at propaganda. In many respects, it does not — especially when juxtaposed against sophisticated Western media ecosystems, Hollywood soft power, and agile digital diplomacy. Western narratives frequently frame issues with moral clarity, emotional resonance, and creative sharpness. They adapt quickly to events. China's style could be said to be somewhat more wooden, state-coordinated, and focused on long-term continuity. Yet in the court of public opinion across much of the developing world, substance is trumping style. Deeds on the ground — visible, measurable improvements — cut through the noise of competing stories.

Context, colonial legacies, and differential appeal

The Global South/Global North divide in attitudes is illuminating. In sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Latin America, and Southeast Asia, China's economic footprint has translated into warmer perceptions. Trade volumes have surged, positioning China as a top partner for many. Investments address genuine gaps in physical capital that faster-talking alternatives have sometimes left unaddressed. Publics in these regions appear to weigh delivered infrastructure and trade opportunities heavily.

Former colonial powers and wealthy Western nations, by comparison, tend to maintain more guarded or adverse views. This partly reflects differences in priorities — strategic competition, governance standards, and territorial disputes loom larger where security is assured and economies are advanced. Historical memory of great-power competition also shapes skepticism. China's steady, non-preachy posture resonates differently depending on a country's position in the global hierarchy and its past encounters with external powers.

This contextual effectiveness reveals something else at work too. And that is that influence accrues not from universal narrative dominance but from alignment with local realities and needs. China's model — predictable, long-horizon, and delivery-focused — optimizes for breadth of relationships in the developing world, where population growth and economic momentum are concentrated.

The limits of information campaigns alone

Notably, substantial resources have been directed toward counter-narratives targeted at China. The US Congress has authorized significant funding for initiatives aimed at highlighting concerns about China through information campaigns, broadcasting, and public diplomacy efforts. Yet the Pew results suggest such spending has not reversed the broader trend in many key countries. Actions and consistency appear more persuasive than amplified critique when realities on the ground diverge from the messaging.

Hyperbole, however eloquent, struggles when daily experience tells a different story. Erratic shifts in policy emphasis or over-reliance on dramatic framing can erode credibility over time. China's "boring" steadiness avoids this trap. By keeping expectations measured and focusing on executable projects, it allows partners to judge outcomes for themselves. Impacted peoples and nations readily distinguish between compelling talk and consistent delivery.

Reality trumps hyperbole in the long run.

A model for patient power

China's approach does not seek to win every audience or convert every skeptic. It does not need to. By doubling down on what it does best —sustained economic engagement, infrastructure scale, and rhetorical continuity — it is steadily expanding its circle of pragmatic partners. This is civilizational patience in practice; it is a recognition that enduring influence grows from compounding results rather than daily narrative victories.

Western observers often critique the wooden quality of Chinese communications. There is a certain truth to that assessment though we are witnessing the emergence of some edgier communications from an emergent cohort of younger journalists and influencers. Yet the 2026 global attitudes data invite a humbling reflection: Effectiveness does not always require virtuosity in advertising. Sometimes, showing up consistently, delivering on commitments, and letting the ports, rails, and trade statistics speak proves more compelling in the long run.

As the international landscape evolves toward greater multipolarity, this "steady as she goes" philosophy merits closer study. It may not dazzle, but it accumulates. In a world weary of grand promises and shifting storylines, tangible progress delivered without fanfare holds distinctive appeal — particularly for those nations focused on building their own futures on their own terms. China's growing reception in key regions demonstrates that actions, sustained over time, can indeed speak louder than even the most sophisticated words.