The opening of 2026 was marked by geopolitical volatility. As uncertainties continue to cast a shadow over international forecasts, the world is increasingly recognizing China not just as a rising power, but as a partner capable of delivering tangible benefits and contributing to a stable global future.

A global opinion poll released by the European Council on Foreign Relations in January highlighted this sentiment, noting that, across the globe, anticipation was building for China's global influence to grow over the next decade. The survey also found a growing number of people who now view Beijing as an "ally" or a necessary partner.

This sentiment isn't isolated. From US-based Pew Research Center and Gallup, to the UK's Brand Finance, and Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a consistent upward trend emerges, as trust in China has steadily climbed in recent years.

The Global Soft Power Index 2026 released by Brand Finance in January shows that China is the only nation brand in the top 10 to increase its soft power score this year. The report noted that by combining domestic development with structured international engagement, China is increasingly perceived as predictable, reliable, and capable of delivering tangible benefits.

Experts said China's increasing credibility is not a result of short-term geopolitical fluctuations, but an inevitable trend stemming from long-term capacity building.

They attribute this shift to the enhancement of China's manufacturing capabilities, its provision of international public goods through initiatives such as the Belt and Road, and China's long-standing support for multilateralism and the UN-centered international system.

The European Council on Foreign Relations' survey specifically noted that China's technological success and manufacturing power may be key drivers in this perceptual shift. In the EU, most people believe China will lead the world in making electric vehicles in the next 10 years, an opinion that has strengthened over the last two years.

Brand Finance's Global 500 2026 report painted a similar picture. Chinese brands have reached an unprecedented total value, representing 15.1 percent of the ranking's overall worth. China now ranks second globally in the number of brands represented on the list, trailing only the US.

Furthermore, in Brand Finance's Global Soft Power Index 2026, China leads the world not only in ease of doing business and future growth potential, but also in technology and innovation, and advanced science.

Dependable actor

Anna Malindog-Uy, vice-president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, a Manila-based think tank, emphasized the significance of Brand Finance's findings.

"The strong showing in Brand Finance's Global 500 matters because it signals sustained global competitiveness and brand equity," she said. "This means more Chinese firms have become globally recognized and embedded, reinforcing the idea that China is a dependable economic actor."

Christine Susanna Tjhin, director of strategic communication and research at Indonesia's Gentala Institute, echoed this sentiment, pointing to specific brands like BYD, Huawei, and Xiaomi, and advancements in green tech like solar panels and wind farms, as examples that have penetrated the imagination of people worldwide of China's industrial prowess.

"The determinants for reliability rest upon the mutual benefits created as Chinese brands with high quality and sensible pricing reach global consumers, and as Chinese manufacturing upgrades with high tech benefit local partners through investments or involving local partners in wider regional supply chains," she added.

Beyond pure economics, the Global Soft Power Index 2026 report also noted that investments under the Belt and Road Initiative underpinned China's soft power gains.

Einar Tangen, senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a Canada-based think tank, observed that the perception of reliability stemmed from demonstrable, decade-long commitments that had translated into concrete benefits for partner nations. The BRI, he said, is the most visible manifestation of this partnership.

"This tangible, adaptive collaboration is increasingly seen as a predictable and stabilizing force, particularly in a world experiencing economic anxiety and a retreat into insularity," he said.

The China Belt and Road Initiative Investment Report 2025, copublished by two institutes in China and Australia in January, reveals that 2025 saw a record year for the BRI engagement.

Christoph Nedopil Wang, the report's author and a professor at Griffith University, said in an interview with the Financial Times that developing countries were showing greater trust in Chinese companies to execute deals on a bigger scale.

"Twelve years ago, these companies were a lot smaller," he said. "Now with increased size, they can take on larger projects — and they need larger projects for growth. The willingness to trust China, from the infrastructure planners and policymakers, is substantive."

Malindog-Uy from Manila noted that developing countries increasingly trust Chinese firms because they've built a reputation for execution certainty, delivering large projects fast, at scale, and with fewer coordination breakdowns.

Over time, the BRI has evolved into an "operating system" with standardized playbooks, established supply chains, local support ecosystems and partnerships, making outcomes more predictable, she said.

Tjhin, from Indonesia, cited the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway as a prime example, highlighting it as the first complete overseas transfer of China's HSR system, encompassing technology, standards, construction, and operations.

The project showcased China's ability to deliver complex mega-infrastructure using Chinese advanced technology, generating employment opportunities, technology transfer, and human development through extensive training and capacity building, she said.

"When the BRI filled in the critical infrastructure gaps in the Global South, there is no denying the tangible benefits these infrastructures have brought and the increased economic and sociopolitical development that followed," Tjhin said.

BRI attractiveness

Jasna Plevnik, president of the Geoeconomic Forum Croatia, said the attractiveness of the BRI lies in its ability to modernize itself constantly and in its sense of friendship. "The BRI functioned as a mechanism for fostering dynamics of economic globalization based on more balanced and flexible alliances through economic and infrastructural connectivity."

She noted that the Global South countries had built their own trust in relations with China, a country that had never put economic or geopolitical pressures, sanctions, or trade wars upon them, but, quite the contrary, brought them economic and infrastructural growth.

Tangen emphasized that the trust generated by the BRI is amplified by China's continuing commitment to the existing structure of global governance, including its support for the United Nations, engagement with the World Trade Organization, contributions to peacekeeping operations, and strengthening of regional frameworks through trade and security agreements.

Tjhin pointed to the China-ASEAN relationship as an example. "China's continued participation and support for the ASEAN-based mechanism has brought up not just growth but also the level of mutual trust and stability in the region."

Tangen concluded that China's philosophy, as embodied in its global initiatives, frames international cooperation around solving collective and practical challenges, from infrastructure gaps and energy access to regional stability.

"In a polarized and ideologically divided world," he stated, "this consistent focus on development, institutional cooperation, and tangible outcomes is forging a deep and durable foundation of trust, making China's role as a 'necessary partner' an increasingly logical conclusion for much of the world."

yangran1@chinadaily.com.cn