China has already become or is on the way of becoming a globally strong country, a survey carried out by the Global Times has found that more than 80 percent of the polled believe so.

The most prominent international image of China in 2017 is “confidence,” according to the survey of 17,583 people from 16 foreign countries around the world, including the US, Russia, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Brazil, and South Africa.

Over 70 percent of the foreigners have faith in or are neutral about the positive role of China in global governance under the country’s new leadership with Xi Jinping as the core, the survey indicated.

The Global Times carried out the survey between Nov. 11 and Dec. 8, and found that people in Spain, Brazil, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan are more confident that China has become a strong country in the world.

About 66.4 percent of the surveyed believe China’s economic strength is what makes a country strong, while other respondents said that scientific and technological capability, political and diplomatic influence, as well as military strength are also contributors.

The foreign respondents ranked China after the US as the second country believed to have the largest influence on global governance in the next 10 years, followed by Russia. Over 40 percent of the surveyed believe China is likely to grow to the most influential country in Asia in the next 10 years.

Over 63.6 percent of the foreigners believe their country should maintain good relations with China.