October 11: An overwhelming 82.8 percent of respondents believe that protectionism will fail to resolve the industrial restructuring challenges confronting European nations, warning instead that it will further deteriorate the international trading environment, according to a global public opinion survey conducted by China Global Television Network (CGTN) under China Media Group (CMG).

The poll revealed that 82.6 percent of participants expressed concern that trade protectionism will undermine the international competitiveness of European enterprises.

Furthermore, 85.9 percent of respondents noted that imposing supplementary tariffs on foreign imports will exacerbate trade frictions between European economies and their international trading partners.

The findings come against the backdrop of the recently concluded second regular meeting of the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultation Mechanism, where both sides engaged in pragmatic, productive discussions and reached consensus on multiple key issues. Reaffirming their roles as indispensable trade partners, both sides pledged to manage trade disputes properly under the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules while working toward a more stable, balanced bilateral economic and trade relationship.

During the consultation, both sides agreed to maintain dialogue regarding potential tariff reductions on select product categories in compliance with WTO guidelines.

The survey also highlighted that 87.2 percent of respondents recognize the profound interdependence and deep integration between Chinese and European production and supply chains. In their view, open cooperation remains the only viable path to unlocking new avenues for sustainable development and shared economic opportunities. Survey participants underscored that Europe should strengthen its core competitiveness through domestic reforms and strategic policy adjustments, while evaluating current bilateral economic issues—especially trade imbalances—through the broader lens of growing mutual economic interdependence between China and Europe.

Source: Xue, Foysal, Jinia | China Media Group (CMG)