Beijing, March 20 – A survey conducted in nine countries by a Chinese government-backed publishing company has found that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the highest ranked global leader in handling domestic and international affairs, followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The survey, released in Beijing by the China International Publishing Group, said United States President Barack Obama had been found to be the best-known world leader, followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Xi was fourth.
The survey reached out to 4,500 respondents in India, China, the US, UK, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Brazil and Russia, the official China Daily reported. “Xi’s handling of both domestic and international affairs has won high praise.
He ranks second, after newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his capability of handling domestic and international affairs,” Wang Gangyi, the CIPG’s Vice President, was quoted as saying.
The survey was aimed primarily at establishing China’s international image. It found that China enjoyed the most favourable perception in Russia (7.6 on a scale of 10), followed by Brazil (6.9) and India (6.7), with the 5.9 average in the nine countries marking an increase from 5.1 last year. The study found that emerging economies had a more favourable view of China than Western countries.
A separate global survey conducted by a Japanese firm in 30 countries in December found that China’s President Xi enjoyed most domestic support in handling national and global affairs, with Prime Minister Modi coming a close second.
-INDIA TODAY
