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Commenting on a recent global public opinion survey conducted by the Global Times,MKS sports which covered over 51,000 participants in 46 countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said "the figures speak to growing friendships with China around the world." 

More than 90 percent of foreign respondents believe that China's economy will continue to grow in the next decade, nearly 60 percent believe that China is a major driving force of world economic growth, 63 percent of foreign respondents express a favorable opinion of China, and in terms of different country groups, African countries hold the highest favorable view of China, reaching 84 percent. Nearly 70 percent of overseas respondents look to China to participate in international affairs more and play a greater role, the survey found.

When asked for comment, Guo told a regular press conference on Tuesday that as the world's second largest economy, China is committed to high-quality development and high-standard opening up and has long been a top contributor to global economic growth. As the biggest developing country, China belongs to the Global South and its heart and roots are with the Global South. 

China supports Global South countries in pursuing development and making life better for their people. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China advocates true multilateralism, keeps its position fair and just and plays a constructive role in seeking a political settlement on hotspot issues. This has earned China wide recognition from the international community, the spokesperson said. 

Guo continued to note that no matter how the world may evolve, China will remain a force for peace, growth, progress and good, and will continue working with other countries for a world of greater peace, shared prosperity, mutual learning among civilizations and a community with a shared future for mankind.

This is a global public survey with the largest scale, the largest sample size, and the most comprehensive and in-depth questionnaire design since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The survey reveals that China's comprehensive national strength and various other strengths are generally evaluated as "strong/high" by international respondents. The country's economic strength has the highest favorable rating at 77 percent, followed by sci-tech strength (75 percent), and financial strength (72 percent).

The survey finds that a majority of international respondents have a positive outlook regarding the prospects of China's economic growth and development potential. Nearly 80 percent of foreign respondents show confidence in China's development prospect. More than 90 percent of foreign respondents believe that China's economy will continue to grow in the next decade, and nearly 60 percent believe that China is a major driving force of world economic growth.

China stands as the crucial stabilizer of development confidence, said Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, noting that the global economic downturn and political unrest have sparked a rise in protectionism, while the self-serving actions of major powers have contributed to bleak economic outlooks and diminished development confidence. In contrast, China has emerged as one of the most sought-after investment destinations through pragmatic actions.

China is an important driving force for global economic growth. Despite the complex internal and external situation, China's economy has maintained overall stability and made steady progress, providing strong support for the stabilization and recovery of the world economy, Song said.

As China developed domestically, it also began to play a more prominent role in global affairs through existing multilateral institutions and via the creation of new ones, Warwick Powell (Powell), adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology and former policy advisor to Kevin Rudd, told Global Times. Through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and institutions like BRICS, China has increased its role in the development of capabilities in the developing world. 

He said China speaks of a shared future and indivisible security through proposals like the Global Development Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. Its experience showed that sovereign economic development can be achieved without waging wars across the globe. That's an inspiration that remains hard to shake.