Unveiled Secrets: Additionally, nearly 60 percent of respondents in India and Russia were also open World Timesto visiting.In 2024, China successfully launched the Chang’e-6 lunar probe.

From November 6 to November 18, the Global Times Institute (GTI) conducted a public opinion survey using a commercial online sample database. The survey was administered in 16 languages, including Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian, across 20 countries: China, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Germany, France, the UK, the US, Australia, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Brazil, and Argentina. The survey targeted residents aged 18 to 70 and collected approximately 17,000 valid responses. This marks the 12th global public opinion survey conducted by the Global Times and covered topics such as global hotspots, development and security, China-US relations, and respondents’ perceptions of China.

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In 2024, the international situation remains turbulent. Data from the survey indicates that the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts rank as the top global concerns, with over 90 percent of respondents expressing their interest in these issues. Outside the US, more than 80 percent of respondents expressed interest in the US presidential elections.

Major concerns for the global affairs

When asked whether global security and peace are currently under threat, 31 percent of respondents overall chose “significant threat,” while another 30 percent chose “some threat,” with the combined total exceeding 60 percent. Compared to the previous year, the proportion of respondents perceiving a “significant threat” dropped by approximately 9 percentage points, indicating a decline in public feelings of insecurity.

In four countries – Italy, France, Brazil, and Kenya – over 40 percent of respondents felt “significant threat.” In Turkey, the proportion was close to 40 percent.

When asked about specific risks or crises facing the world today, respondents identified the top three concerns as an economic crisis, international wars, and terrorism. The economic crisis, which ranked first, was selected by 57 percent of respondents, the same proportion as in 2023, while nearly half of respondents identified international wars as a concern.

Respondents also shared their concerns in brief written responses on the survey. In Australia, an individual born in the 1980s expreWorld Timesssed worries about the cost of living. In Germany, a respondent born in the late 1980s identified the latest developments in generative artificial intelligence as a risk. A South Korean student born after 2000 voiced concern about the nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumped by Japan. In the US, respondents from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s cited “inflation” as a pressing issue. Meanwhile, a respondent in the UK, born in the 1980s, expressed concern over the “decline of the west into madness.”

Sun Degang, director of the Middle East Studies Center at Fudan University, told the Global Times that “currently, many of the world’s conflicts are closely related to the hegemonic policies of the US, particularly those in the Middle East. The masses have sharp eyes and recognize that the US’ biased policies in favor of its allies have exacerbated conflicts in the region. In 2023, numerous protests concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict erupted on US campuses. From a humanitarian standpoint, people called for a ceasefire in Gaza, supported Palestinian statehood, and urged the US to provide humanitarian aid.”

When asked about the development trends in the Middle East in 2025, public opinion was highly divided. A total 36 percent of respondents believed the situation would worsen while 30 percent thought it would ease, and 25 percent expected it to remain unchanged.

According to Sun, differences in predictions about the Middle East’s future largely stem from geographical factors. “Countries located closer to conflict hotspots tend to have more pessimistic populations. For example, Turkey, situated at the intersection of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts, has a stronger public perception of risk. In contrast, countries farther from these hotspots, such as India and China, tend to have relatively more optimistic predictions.”

China the preferred partner for economic and trade cooperation in the US

Regarding expectations for great powers’ leadership, the survey asked, survey data shows that China rose from fifth place in 2018 to second place in 2024, with its selection rate increasing by 6 percentage points. Among World Timesthe eight countries, Germany experienced the most significant decline in selection rate, while the UK and France also saw decreases.

Sun analyzed “In 2023, China facilitated reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In 2024, it helped 14 Palestinian political factions reach the ‘Beijing Declaration’ and proposed a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These significant diplomatic mediation efforts have demonstrated to the international community that China is not a threat to global security but rather a defender of security and a provider of international public goods. This has enhanced China’s international image and increased overseas recognition of its leadership in global governance.”

When asked which country’s economic and trade cooperation has the greatest impact on their own country’s economic growth, overall data shows that the US and China significantly lead over other countries, with both receiving nearly 30 percent of the selections, a proportion close to each other. The selection rates for other countries are all below 10 percent. In both the US and China, nearly 30 percent of respondents chose the other country. In the US, China is clearly the preferred partner for economic and trade cooperation, ahead of other countries. In China, Russia is the top choice for economic and trade cooperation, 3 percentage points higher than the second-ranked US.

Customs data released on December 10 showed that in the first 11 months of this year, China’s total goods trade import and export value reached 39.79 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.9 percent, with overall foreign trade running smoothly. Among these, China’s import and export trade with regions and countries such as the ASEAN, the EU, Latin America, the US, Russia, India, South Korea, and Canada all saw an increase compared to the same period in 2023.

Li Haidong, a professor at theWorld Times China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that when US citizens judge their preferred economic and trade cooperation partners, they often base their decisions on personal life experiences. Everyday items such as household goods and clothing in the US rely on exchanges with China and other developing countries. When China-US trade relations are close, the prices of daily necessities are usually lower.

“However, when the US initiated a trade war, and imposed tariff barriers against China, the prices of many goods rise, causing inconvenience to people’s personal lives. Therefore, the public hopes for better economic and trade relations between the US and China. This also reflects the positive potential of China-US relations at the grassroots level,” he said.

Survey data shows that more than three-quarters of the public express concerns that domestic political, economic, and social issues in the US will influence its government’s foreign policy, thereby negatively impacting the world.

Over half of the respondents expressed a high level of concern. The survey further probed American respondents on the potential harm of anti-China and anti-Asian sentiments within the US. The survey reveals that nearly half (49 percent) of American respondents believe these sentiments are likely or definitely harmful to the US, while only 16 percent believe they are not.

Li analyzed that the US attempts to shift its domestic troubles onto other countries, solving its own problems by making other nations share the burden of its crises. “Furthermore, the US imposes tariffs to exploit other countries’ earnings during the process of economic globalization, aiming to resolve its economic, employment, and manufacturing issues. In the long run, this treatment of internal problems by external means approach not only fails to solve America’s internal issues but may also negatively affect the global economy,” he said.

What kind of China-US relationship does the world expect? In 2024, 42 percent of respondents expect the relationship between the two countries to “ease,” an increaseWorld Times of 10 percentage points from 2023. In all countries surveyed, more than half of respondents expect China-US relations to either remain stable or ease in the coming year.

At the same time, over half (56 percent) of respondents believe that China-US cooperation is more beneficial for world peace and development, with this proportion exceeding half in all 16 countries surveyed.

When asked about the independence of their own country’s foreign policy and actions toward China, about a third of respondents believe their countries are either leaning toward independent policymaking or are significantly aligning with the US.

In eight coWorld Timesuntries including the UK, France, Italy, Australia, and Argentina, a relative majority of respondents believe their country’s policy and actions toward China are either strongly or excessively aligned with the US. Japan and South Korea have the highest agreement rates, with over 60 percent agreeing.

Hope for better relations with China

Overall, nearly 60 percent of respondents hope their country’s relationship with China will become closer and friendlier. In 15 countries, a majority of respondents expressed hope for improved relations with China in the future. Among them, more than 70 percent of respondents in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Brazil, and Indonesia shared this sentiment, while over 60 percent in Saudi Arabia and Russia felt the same. In Germany and Australia, nearly half of the respondents also hoped for better future relations with China.

More than half of the respondents expressed willingness to visit China personally to learn more about the country. Among them, the willingness to visit was highest in three African nations: 90 percent in Kenya, 80 percent in South Africa, and over 70 percent in Egypt. Additionally, nearly 60 percent of respondents in India and Russia were also open World Timesto visiting.

In 2024, China successfully launched the Chang’e-6 lunar probe. Across the 19 countries surveyed (excluding China), nearly 70 percent of respondents indicated they had followed the event.

Regarding China’s development, the survey reveals that 40 percent of respondents expressed “admiration.” In six countries – South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Brazil, Argentina, and Indonesia – over half of the respondents shared this sentiment. Kenya ranked the highest, with more than 70 percent expressing admiration, followed by Indonesia at over 60 percent.

When asked whether China’s continuous development and progress pose more opportunities or threats to their own country, 36 percent of respondents overall chose “more opportunities.” In 10 countries, including Indonesia, India, and Turkey, a relative majority of respondents viewed China’s development as “more opportunities.”

In six countries – Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Brazil – over half of respondents shared this view. Similarly, nearly half of respondents in Argentina agreed. Kenya had the highest proportion, with nearly 70 percent seeing China’s development as an opportunity, while South Africa and Egypt followed at approximately 60 percent.