China's national image saw steady rise in global recognition in 2015, especially as an economic power.

The 2015 China National Image Global Survey, which was published on Aug. 29, showed that China's national image has seen a steady rise globally. Now ranking second, just after the U.S., the nation's image was rated 6.2 out of 10, up 0.3 points from 2014. Following China on the list are Russia, the U.K. and Germany.

Specifically, most respondents gave a positive evaluation of China's economic situation, and nearly 50 percent expressed optimism about the future development of the world's second largest economy, the survey showed.

The survey also indicated that many overseas respondents expect the country to play an even bigger role in global governance in the future. Some 64 percent said they hope China can play a more important role in the global economy, while 58 percent professed to having high hopes for China's role in science and technology.

"It should be noted that this improvement was accomplished in the midst of increasing communications between China and the global community, and also during the rise of sensitive issues, such as the South China Sea ... It shows more world recognition of China's role in global governance, as problems arise in the current Western-led system," said Zhou Qing'an, vice dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, at a press conference on Aug. 29.

Surprisingly, more overseas respondents gave credit to China's scientific and technological innovations than Chinese respondents. The respective percentages were 61 versus 57. The most noted technological achievement of China in 2015 was the ongoing development of the high-speed rail, which now extends 19,000 kilometers. The second most major achievement was the launch of China's independently-developed Beidou navigation satellites.

As for Chinese brands overseas, Lenovo and Huawei remain on the top two seats, followed by Alibaba and ZTE. Since 2014, brands such as Xiaomi, WeChat and UC Web have gained more popularity, and the rise of PetroChina was especially notable, according to the survey.

"We see individual humiliating cases overseas and they sometimes cause us to either over- or underestimate ourselves. The survey can help us change the way we see ourselves and guide us toward better development ... It is also important that we stop idolizing Western countries," said Wang Wen, director of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, at the press conference.

The survey was conducted between January and March by the Center for International Communication Studies under China International Publishing Group (CIPG), together with leading market research firms Millward Brown and Lightspeed GMI.