Survey finds readers' topics of interest for CPC gathering

As the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is approaching, overseas readers eagerly await coverage of the discussions of topics such as China's economy, ecological protection and science and technology at this landmark event, according to a survey by China Daily.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is also of particular interest to overseas readers, while President Xi Jinping's thoughts on ecological civilization, economy and diplomacy attract their attention, the survey showed.

Through questionnaires and interviews, China Daily reached out to 146 overseas readers — including think tank scholars, professionals and officials of international organizations — with strong industry representation and social influence to find out their topics of interest concerning the upcoming 20th CPC National Congress.

About 40 percent of the respondents were from the Asia-Pacific region, 28 percent from Europe, 20 percent from North America and the remaining 12 percent from Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The respondents are generally familiar with China's politics, economy, diplomacy and other issues, or have engaged in China-related work.

Jon Taylor, chair of the political science and geography department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said that the 20th CPC National Congress comes at a critical time in which China faces complex domestic and international challenges.

"I look forward to reading about these topics and the Party's efforts to address them," Taylor said.

William Jones, chief of the Washington bureau of Executive Intelligence Review, said that the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, both proposed by President Xi, are "extremely important for the world".

"We are facing a major crossroads in global governance where one path can lead to global prosperity and another path can lead to something akin to a new Dark Ages," he said. "The GDI and GSI represent the first path. The second would be the result of the attempt by the West to divide the world into two warring camps."

Jack Midgley, principal of global consultancy Midgley & Co and an adjunct associate professor in security studies at Georgetown University, said that he would like to see coverage of China's security cooperation efforts around the world.

"It would also be great to see more about China's success in reducing poverty and improving the welfare of the Chinese people," Midgley said.

Over the past decade, China has made historic achievements in sustained and sound economic and social development that have attracted global attention. According to the survey, high-end overseas readers are eager to learn about the development of various fields in China from the coverage of the 20th CPC National Congress, especially achievements and experiences in economic development and ecological protection.

As China is the world's second-largest economy and an important part of the global industrial chain, the extraordinary resilience of the Chinese economy during the COVID-19 pandemic has particularly increased the interest of overseas audiences in China's economic development path.

About 59 percent of the respondents focused on coverage of foreign trade and foreign investment, followed by innovative and high-quality development, China's economic contribution to the global supply chain, and reform and opening-up, the survey showed.

Moreover, China's achievements in ecological civilization are also hot topics among these readers. In recent years, China has made great achievements in ecological civilization construction, and 66 percent of the respondents said they want to learn about climate change in the coverage of the 20th CPC National Congress. In addition, they are also concerned about topics including green technology, pollution prevention and control, and biodiversity, according to the survey.

Some respondents also suggested that China Daily increase its coverage of what China has to say about biased foreign reports. For instance, Western countries have used various propaganda tactics to undermine China's peaceful rise, especially with smears and attacks on China's image in Africa. Overseas readers expect China Daily to do more to tell the world the truth.