On the occasion of the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), CGTN of China Media Group and the New Era International Communication Research Institute of Renmin University of China jointly conducted an online global public opinion survey titled "2026 Global Survey on World Openness". Participants widely expressed positive appraisals of China`s sustained efforts to champion high-standard opening-up.
The survey gathered responses from 20,100 internet users across 44 countries. Respondents generally perceived that the global environment for openness has grown increasingly complex and challenging. While opportunities for cultural exchange and cross-cultural understanding have expanded, geopolitical conflict was cited as the single greatest impediment to global openness.Respondents commended China’s proactive initiative to expand high-standard opening-up through platforms such as the China International Import Expo. They noted that amidst today`s turbulent and rapidly evolving international landscape, such institutional efforts inject added confidence and stability into the global arena. In assessing the global climate of openness, opportunities to engage with different cultures received the most favorable feedback, with 65.5 percent of respondents from the Global South reporting positive experiences. Young respondents aged 25 to 34 demonstrated the most optimistic outlook regarding world openness.

When asked about factors facilitating mutual cooperation among nations, an increase in the number of countries participating in trade and international cooperation was recognized as the foremost positive catalyst. Conversely, 81.4 percent of respondents identified geopolitical conflicts as the primary obstacle to global openness, while nearly 60 percent cited unilateral coercion and extra tariff measures imposed by major powers as major hindrances. Respondents across the Global South showed higher optimism regarding future openness; the proportion among them believing the world will become more open over the next one to three years was nearly double that of developed economies.

This year marks the inaugural year of China`s 15th Five-Year Plan. To vigorously expand high-standard opening-up, China has rolled out a suite of pragmatic policy initiatives that have drawn widespread international praise. When asked which major economy`s opening-up and developmental path is most worthy of emulation, 42.7 percent of respondents selected China, placing it at the top of the global ranking.

This sentiment was even more pronounced among the younger demographic. Furthermore, nearly 90 percent of respondents described China’s economic fundamentals as exceptionally solid and its pace of growth as rapid, while 84.6 percent affirmed China’s undeniable contributions to the world economy. Approximately 80 percent expressed confidence that the Chinese economy possesses unique capabilities and enduring resilience to withstand multifaceted global risks and shocks.Among China`s multifaceted opening-up measures, enhanced access to its massive domestic consumer market and an expanded unilateral visa-free regime resonated most deeply with respondents worldwide. The China International Import Expo ranked among the top five most impactful global trade initiatives. When queried about future commercial and strategic cooperation, 65.6 percent of global respondents voiced a firm desire to deepen their partnership with China. Source: Shishir, Alim, Akash | China Media Group (CMG)