Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published:August 15,2022
More than 78 percent of people from around the world believe the Chinese economy has injected vitality into the global economy over the past decade and has become the engine of the world economy, according to a joint survey conducted by CGTN Think Tank and the Chinese Institute of Public Opinion at Renmin University of China.
The survey interviewed respondents who are 38.64 years old on average from developed countries such as the U.S., the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, as well as developing countries like Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Thailand, India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Over half of the respondents have higher education, with 54.71 percent having a bachelor’s degree or above, of which 15.22 percent are masters and doctors.
The survey showed that 91.46 percent of respondents from Africa spoke highly of China’s economic achievements. Europe followed closely with a share of 81.6 percent, while North America ranked third with 78.09 percent.
People from countries in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) spoke highly of China’s economic achievements. Meanwhile, 84.02 percent of respondents from developing countries have confidence in the Chinese economy, more than those from developed countries.
Hard work pays off
The overwhelming majority of respondents have a positive impression of the Chinese people, and 84.42 percent of African respondents and 71.18 percent of European respondents believe the Chinese people are hardworking and self-motivated.
China’s gross domestic product per capita has increased from $6,100 to more than $12,000 over the past 10 years, which 76.65 percent of respondents believe is remarkable. In the survey, over 70 percent of respondents from five continents believe China is getting richer.
China managed to lift nearly 100 million people in rural areas out of poverty in the past decade, and the vast majority of global respondents believed the top two reasons for the historic achievement are that China’s economy maintains rapid growth and that Chinese leaders are determined and firmly marching toward their goals.
In terms of the rapid technology development, the respondents are most impressed by China’s 5G development, artificial intelligence and high-speed railway. In Africa, 73.87 percent of respondents were most impressed by China’s 5G, and 55.28 percent praised the country’s high-speed railway. In Europe, 52.77 percent of respondents were impressed with the country’s progress in artificial intelligence.
A multipolar world
The survey also asked respondents about their opinions on the future world order. Around 6 percent of people around the globe believe the world would be unipolar in the future – dominated either by the U.S. or China – while 34 percent, the largest group, think a multipolar world is the most likely prospect, according to the poll.
The Chinese concept of “a community with a shared future,” which emphasizes humankind as a whole and seeks a new path to avoid confrontation, was supported by 61 percent of those surveyed.
People from countries participating in the BRI agreed more with China’s worldview.
Among the influences that the BRI has brought to their nations, “sharing development gains” (53 percent), “expanding the international market” (51 percent), “strengthening basic infrastructure” (44 percent) and “promoting cultural exchanges” (43 percent) are the ones chosen the most in the poll.
Only 8 percent said they believed their countries were subject to “debt traps” set by China.
A majority approved of China’s approach to human rights even as Western nations blast the country’s record, according to the survey.
Some 57 percent of the people surveyed agreed with the statement “China always treats human rights realistically and practically. Human rights should not be separated from the realities and developmental stages of any country. The rights to subsistence and development are the most basic,” and 26 percent totally agreed.
On developed countries’ weaponization of human rights, 55 percent of those surveyed said they believed it would “only block people in other nations from having broader rights to freedom and subsistence.”
Some 56 percent from both developed and emerging economies said the real reason Western politicians promote “the China Threat” is “stress and anxiety” over China’s rise.
