Chinese say country still not ‘world power’: poll
– File Photo
BEIJING: More than 80 per cent of Chinese say they do not yet see their country as a “world power”, according to a newspaper poll published Monday.
The survey, in the Global Times daily, also said that more than half of respondents expressed “positive views” of Beijing’s relations with Washington, though most were pessimistic about ties with Tokyo.
A total of 82.3 per cent of people surveyed said that China had yet to obtain world power status.
The statistic made the front-page headline of the paper’s English language edition – but in the Chinese-language version the story was relegated to a low mention on an inside page.
The Global Times, which has links to the ruling Communist Party, said the poll was released by its Global Poll Center.
The survey, carried out via telephone and the Internet, collected responses from 1,404 residents above the age of 15 in seven cities, including Beijing and the financial hub of Shanghai.
Public opinion polls are rare in China, where the Communist Party decries notions of what it calls “Western-style” democracy.
Asked what was “the most significant event that helped elevate China’s international standing” in 2012, 44.6 percent of respondents cited the Chinese navy taking delivery of the country’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
A former Soviet vessel, it went into service in September in a symbolic milestone for China’s growing military muscle.
But the paper quoted Zhu Feng, a professor at Peking University’s School of International Studies, as saying: “Being a world power is not about how many aircraft carriers it has.
“It’s more about demonstrating a humble, elegant, confident image on a global platform.”
In the survey 54 per cent of respondents said China was on the verge of becoming a world power, while 53 per cent felt positively about Sino-US relations.
Around 57 per cent named China as their “favourite country”, with the US in second place.
“It’s good to see a growing patriotism and recognition among Chinese for their motherland, but we cannot deny that the US does have an appeal to some,” Zhu said.
“For example, it does a better job at democracy and law enforcement.”
Most survey respondents had a dim view of the outlook for relations with Japan, with which China is embroiled in a territorial dispute.
Less than 24 per cent felt that relations would improve, with 33 per cent seeing them worsening and 38 per cent thinking they would stay the same.
The survey found that nearly 70 per cent cited Japan’s nationalisation of the disputed islands as “the most significant global event in 2012”.
if china become world power we indian will surpass them
What can you really do, pray?
Good luck to your country!! There is no harm to dream it.
China is a power to reckon with economically and militarily..India should take some inspiration from China…whom we second at present.
It, s of corse nothing only with cheap goods.However, it,s more about visible aviation, fastest railways, and booming banking sectors to name but only a few.
To all those still thinking of china as a third power, my massage is you do not accept reality, by refusing to accept the reality you do no harm anyone but you show yourself as ignorant backward still living and thinking of 1960s not 2013. by 2015 china will surpass banana USA as world’s no 1 economy, and will lead debt laden america. guess whats USA debt to china to date? 14 trillion dollars. and anyone still thinks USA as leading economy then i say you are the most naive being alive in todays world
Chinese are a civilized and modest people, even their perception of world power is different than the popular meaning of the word. At the end of the day, no country in the world can think of a war with China. True that China does not have the global outreach that the US led Western alliance does, but their growing area of influence already encompasses all of Asia where two-thirds of humanity lives. Their locking horns with the West in Syria aptly demonstrates that Chinese influence is at the door steps of Europe. In the ongoing South China sea dispute the West summoned all it’s allies like Japan and India but failed to impress China.
World Power? I see China as a third rate power. It is a world power in making cheap and pirated goods.
thats why stores in US and Europe filled with Chinese goods………………..
Chinese products are exported to Europe and America, difference of our own.
However, this situation is changing.
Go on more with your ravings of envy, kid!
if not yet china will soon become world power or certainly come close to it.
“the story was relegated to a low mention on an inside page”
O’ really there is some thing like ‘low mention’ in journalism – If so it should be extremely rare and found only in China as the critics are not able to find it other ‘democratic’ countries like us