The Beijing Olympics will have a positive impact on the way the West sees China, according to a survey from a landmark conference on China held in London.
Results of the survey launched at the Battle for China conference held in mid-July were released on Friday. It found that 66 percent of those polled say there will be an improvement in Western perceptions after the Beijing Olympic Games.
The survey also indicated a general positive attitude towards China and its growth, with 62 percent thinking China will become a democracy and 71 percent agree that China's rapid rise is not a threat to world peace.
An overwhelming 86 percent conclude that China should have been awarded the Olympic Games, while 75 percent are concerned that Western media have been too negative about China's rise.
What's more, over half disagreed that the Beijing Olympics should be used to pressurize China over its human rights record.
The survey also found that 42 percent of people think China has already become a superpower, and 66 percent say it is possible for 1.3 billion Chinese to have the standard of living currently experienced in the Western world. A total of 67 percent believe it is not the responsibility of the West to ensure China develops sustainably.
The online survey, which examined Western perceptions of China in the run up to the Beijing Olympics, is conducted among 124 persons by the Institute of Ideas, in association with China Now, Britain's largest ever festival of Chinese culture, and international legal practice Norton Rose LLP.
(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)