BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that China is now seen more positively than the United States in most of 36 countries surveyed. In many places, positive perceptions of China have reached their highest levels since records began.
The findings add to a growing body of international surveys pointing to the same conclusion: a China committed to peaceful development, shared prosperity, innovation and openness is earning increasing trust and goodwill around the world.
The details are particularly revealing. Among the 20 economies with comparable data, mostly high-income countries, the median share of respondents expressing favorable views of China reached 46 percent, compared with 36 percent for the United States. In many middle-income countries, respondents are also more likely to regard China as a reliable partner and a contributor to global peace and stability.
These findings are far from an isolated case. Earlier this year, Gallup reported that global approval of China's leadership had surpassed that of the United States by the widest margin in nearly two decades. Similar conclusions have also emerged from surveys conducted by ASEAN think tanks, Brand Finance's Global Soft Power Index and other international institutions.
Numbers tell only part of the story. Behind the changing figures lies a broader recognition of what China has contributed to the world.
China has become an increasingly important source of global stability and growth. By expanding high-level opening up, China continues to share development opportunities with the rest of the world. More importantly, it is increasingly making innovation a global public good rather than an exclusive privilege.
The recently concluded 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai illustrated this commitment. Beyond showcasing breakthroughs in frontier technologies, China proposed the establishment of a World AI Cooperation Organization to help developing countries bridge the digital divide. As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, China is advocating that technological progress should benefit all rather than deepen inequality.
China's appeal is equally rooted in its philosophy of mutually beneficial cooperation. Through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, China has helped expand connectivity and development across the world. From the China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway to Peru's Chancay Port, major infrastructure projects have created new opportunities for growth.
Meanwhile, development initiatives such as Juncao technology, Luban Workshops and medical assistance programs have delivered tangible benefits to local communities. Behind growing goodwill are not political slogans, but real development and shared prosperity.
China's growing international standing also reflects its consistent commitment to safeguarding peace and improving global governance.
Through the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, China continues to provide public goods for addressing shared global challenges. In an increasingly turbulent world, China has demonstrated that it is a force for stability rather than confrontation.
China's growing international goodwill is also fostered by the appeal of its culture.
Chinese cultural products are reaching wider global audiences than ever before. The phenomenal international success of the animated film Ne Zha 2 and the video game Black Myth: Wukong has sparked renewed global interest in Chinese mythology and traditional culture. Following the inscription of the Spring Festival on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, celebrations of the Chinese New Year have become increasingly global.
With the largest number of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage elements in the world, China continues to present an ancient civilization through a modern, open and confident lens. More young people are discovering a China that is creative, diverse and welcoming.
Ultimately, rising global favorability toward China is the natural response to a country that pursues development through openness, advances cooperation through mutual benefit, promotes peace through dialogue and enriches the world through cultural exchange.
China has long believed that when the world prospers, China prospers, and when China prospers, the world benefits. As more countries experience China's development firsthand, that conviction is increasingly shared by people around the world. ■
