by Maya Majueran

The global perception landscape is changing. For decades, the United States occupied a dominant position in international public opinion. The latest Pew Research Center survey, however, points to a notable turning point: for the first time in more than two decades, China is viewed more favorably than the United States across a larger number of countries.

What explains China's growing appeal?

For many developing countries, China offers a practical development partnership centered on infrastructure, investment, industrialization, technology transfer and trade. Rather than prescribing a single pathway to modernization, it has generally emphasized allowing countries to pursue development in line with their national priorities.

One reason China's influence has grown is that its development model is highly visible. From Ethiopia's railways to Pakistan's power plants, Chinese-financed projects address everyday development challenges by improving transport, energy security and connectivity. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has mobilized nearly 1 trillion U.S. dollars in infrastructure investment, producing projects that citizens can see, use and associate with economic progress.

The distinction lies not only in the scale of investment but also in the evolving priorities of development cooperation. While many Western partners have increasingly emphasized economic security, strategic de-risking, private-sector mobilization and governance reform, China has combined large-scale investment in physical infrastructure with technology transfer, industrial cooperation and human capital development.

At the same time, China has actively promoted trade by expanding market access, including granting zero-tariff treatment to many least-developed countries, deepening currency-swap arrangements, and encouraging the use of local currencies in cross-border trade. Together, these measures seek to strengthen economic connectivity, reduce transaction costs and exchange-rate risks, and create new opportunities for developing countries to integrate into regional and global value chains.

This integrated approach has produced tangible improvements in productivity, connectivity and local capacity, reinforcing perceptions of China as a long-term development partner.

Equally important is the philosophy underpinning China's engagement. Beijing consistently emphasizes sovereignty, mutual respect and non-interference, maintaining that every country should determine its own political and development path. For many governments across the Global South, this approach is a partnership based on equality rather than political conditionality, allowing them greater policy space to pursue domestic development priorities.

Diplomatic style has also influenced perceptions. Through mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and regular engagement with Pacific Island countries, China has committed itself to equality and shared development. For many governments in the Global South, that sense of respect and recognition is not merely symbolic -- it contributes to long-term political trust.

Perhaps the most important nuance is this: the Global South is not becoming anti-American; it is becoming strategically pragmatic. Its foreign policy decisions are increasingly guided by national interests, economic opportunity, and development priorities rather than Cold War-style geopolitical alignment.

The Global South's primary ambition is neither ideological nor geopolitical -- it is developmental. Governments want to create jobs, eliminate poverty, modernize infrastructure, strengthen industrial capacity and improve the quality of life for their citizens. China's transformation over the past four decades, from lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty to becoming a global leader in infrastructure, manufacturing and technology, has demonstrated what sustained long-term planning can achieve. Consequently, many developing countries are looking to China not as a model to replicate wholesale, but as a development partner from which they can learn, cooperate and pursue shared prosperity while preserving their own policy autonomy.

This contrast is also reflected in broader policy priorities. At a time when many Western governments are increasingly emphasizing tariffs, export controls, technology restrictions, sanctions and economic security, China has continued to promote infrastructure investment, trade, industrial cooperation, technology partnerships, open-source AI initiatives and greater access to its domestic market. Whether one agrees with either approach or not, many developing countries evaluate partnerships primarily through the lens of economic development and tangible outcomes. That difference in emphasis is helping reshape global perceptions.

The world is changing, and the transition toward a more multipolar international order is becoming increasingly evident. The Global South is no longer a passive participant in world affairs. Its countries are exercising greater strategic autonomy, making decisions according to their own national interests, development priorities and the aspirations of their people. In China, developing countries have found a true friend and good partner.

Editor's note: Maya Majueran serves as the director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka, an independent and pioneering organization with strong expertise in Belt and Road Initiative advice and support.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Xinhua News Agency.