Poll: Building China-Latin America community with shared future gains growing support

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the official launch of the China-CELAC Forum, CGTN, in collaboration with the University of San Martín de Porres, Latin American Center of Political and Economical Studies on China and University of Santiago de Chile, conducted a poll with 2,500 respondents across 10 Latin American countries.

The results show that respondents strongly agree with the development philosophy and achievements of Chinese modernization and view China-Latin America cooperation positively. The China-Latin America community with a shared future is also gaining growing support among the people of Latin America.

China's governance receives widespread praise, with growing favorability among young respondents

China and Latin American countries are all developing nations and comprehensive cooperative partners based on equality, mutual benefit and common development. The philosophy of Chinese modernization offers a valuable reference for Latin American countries in their pursuit of development.

China is viewed favorably by the majority of respondents, the survey showed. A whopping 94.8 percent see it as a successful country, 85.9 percent find it attractive and 94.8 percent recognize China's strong economic power. Ninety-one percent of respondents believe that China's economy will maintain long-term positive growth, while 95.6 percent recognize its technological strength, and 82.9 percent believe its development model is relevant for Latin America.

In recent years, more Latin American countries have chosen to establish or resume diplomatic ties with China. The survey shows that 86.2 percent of respondents have a favorable view of China and 87.7 percent expressed a favorable view of the Chinese people. The same percentage hold a favorable opinion of Chinese companies investing and operating in Latin America.

Among the five countries that have recently established or resumed diplomatic relations with China – The Dominican Republic, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua – respondents expressed even stronger goodwill toward China, with an average favorability rate exceeding 90 percent.

Young people are full of vitality and dreams, and the future of China–Latin America relations lies in their hands. Respondents aged 18 to 34 expressed significantly higher favorability toward China compared to other age groups.

Among them, those aged 25 to 34 have the highest favorability toward China (92.2%), followed by those aged 18 to 24 at 87.7 percent. Additionally, 87.2 percent of Latin American respondents acknowledge China's cultural influence, with 91.9 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 and 89 percent of those aged 25 to 34 agreeing with this view. 88.1 percent of Latin American respondents positively assess China's contribution to human civilization.

Among respondents aged 18 to 34, the proportion of those who frequently or always engage with Chinese culture and entertainment products is 13.7 percentage points higher than that of those aged 35 and above. Nearly half (49.2%) of Latin American respondents believe that exposure to Chinese popular culture has effectively enhanced their understanding of China.

BRI enhances Latin American people's sense of gain, with a positive outlook on China-Latin America ties

As a key driver of China-Latin America cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative's (BRI) influence in Latin American countries is steadily growing, and respondents' understanding of the initiative is becoming increasingly rational.

In the description of the BRI, the top three points of agreement are: "a development model that countries can adopt to improve economic prosperity" (55%), "an important public good provided by China for improving international governance" (54%), and "China's vision for cooperation with other countries" (52.6%).

Additionally, 80.4 percent of respondents believe the BRI has a positive impact on the development of Latin American countries; 81.1 percent agree with the "consultation, contribution, and shared benefits" principle upheld by the initiative; 82.1 percent view it as an important contribution by China to the world; and 80.9 percent feel that it helps establish a more equitable international order.

Notably, although the Panamanian government announced in February this year that it would not renew its Belt and Road cooperation agreement, the survey results show that 86 percent of Panamanian respondents see the initiative as beneficial to Latin America; 89.5 percent support its "consultation, contribution, and shared benefits" principle; 83 percent view it as a major contribution by China to the world – all above the regional average.

Though separated by mountains and seas, shared aspirations bring China and Latin America together. According to the survey, 86.5 percent of respondents believe economic cooperation with China has been mutually beneficial, 84.5 percent think their country has gained more from trade with China, and 90 percent agree that Chinese investment has effectively boosted local economic development.

In terms of China's contributions to investment in Latin America, the top three areas recognized by respondents are technological innovation (55.2%), infrastructure development (52.9%) and the digital economy (47.6%). In the ranking of areas where respondents most hope to see stronger China–Latin America cooperation in the future, the top three are manufacturing (44.4%), education and talent development (41.2%) and infrastructure (35.6%).

Regarding China–Latin America relations, 81.8 percent of respondents believe the current relationship is progressing positively; 93.8 percent consider maintaining strong ties with China vital to their country; and 89 percent express optimism about the future of bilateral relations.

The survey covered ten countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic. Respondents were members of the general public aged 18 to 55 and above, with sampling aligned with each country's census-based age and gender distribution.