On the occasion of the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE), CGTN, in collaboration with Renmin University of China through the New Era International Communication Research Institute, carried out the 2026 Global Survey on World Openness, involving 20,100 respondents across 44 countries worldwide. 

The survey indicates that respondents generally view the global openness landscape as becoming increasingly complex and challenging. Cultural exchanges are seen as the easiest form of cross-border engagement, while geopolitical conflicts are identified as the biggest obstacle to global openness. Respondents also spoke positively of China's continued efforts to host the CIIE and advance high-standard opening up, believing that these efforts bring greater certainty to a world marked by turbulence.

In assessing the global openness environment, respondents found cultural exchanges to be the easiest form of cross-border engagement. This view was particularly prevalent among respondents from the Global South, 65.5% of whom reported greater ease in cultural exchanges. Respondents aged 25 to 34 also reported the most positive experiences with global openness. When evaluating factors that facilitate cross-country cooperation, “a growing number of countries participating in trade and cooperation” ranked first.

Meanwhile, 81.4% of respondents identified geopolitical conflicts as the biggest obstacle to global openness, while nearly six in 10 (59.8%) pointed to “unilateral pressure and tariff hikes by major powers” as another major barrier. Looking ahead, respondents from the Global South expressed greater optimism about the prospects for openness. The proportion of people who believe that “the world will become more open in the next one to three years” is nearly twice as high as that among respondents from developed countries.

This year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). China has rolled out a host of initiatives to actively expand high-standard opening up, earning positive feedback from the international community. When asked which major global economy offers the most valuable experience in opening up and economic development, 42.7% of respondents chose China, the highest share among the economies surveyed. Younger respondents showed even greater recognition of China's experience. 

Additionally, nearly 90% of respondents recognized China's economic strength and rapid growth, 84.6% acknowledged China's significant contribution to the global economy, while nearly 80% expressed confidence in the Chinese economy's resilience in the face of risks and challenges.

Among China's various opening-up measures, improvements in market access and visa-free policies made the strongest impression on global respondents. The CIIE also ranked among the top five most recognized measures, serving as a prominent showcase of China's commitment to high-standard opening up. 

When asked about their willingness to deepen cooperation with China, 65.6% of respondents expressed interest in further collaboration. Such cooperation extends beyond increased investment and business opportunities to deeper areas, such as research and development and technological collaboration.

Conducted through an online panel survey, the poll was designed to reflect the age and gender distributions reported in the national censuses of the respective countries. It covered major developed economies as well as representative countries of the Global South. The findings have been compiled into the Blue Book of the Global Survey on World Openness.