CGTN poll: Global respondents urge nations to say no to U.S. bullying

Seek justice, not hegemony. The United States' imposition of tariffs has triggered strong condemnation and resolute countermeasures from many countries, and China's release of a position paper opposing the U.S. abuse of tariffs has gained a supportive response from the international community.

A new poll of social media users around the world, conducted by CGTN, shows that respondents are calling on countries to join hands and take action to resist "American-style bullying," safeguarding their legitimate rights and the current international economic and trade order.

The United States, under the guise of pursuing "equality" and "fairness," engages in a zero-sum game, placing its own interests above the common good of the international community. China firmly opposes this and points out that development is a universal right of all countries, not a monopoly of a few.

In this regard, 86.9 percent of respondents believe that the countermeasures taken by countries against the U.S.'s tariff bullying actions are legitimate actions to defend their own legal interests. Meanwhile, 89.2 percent of respondents call for more countries to adopt a more active and proactive stance and actions on trade issues with the U.S., opposing America's unilateral bullying actions on multilateral platforms such as the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The multilateral trading system, with the WTO as its core and based on rules, has significantly contributed to promoting global trade development, economic growth, and sustainable development. In the survey, 82.2 percent of respondents expect the WTO to play a more active role in resolving trade disputes between the U.S. and other countries. Meanwhile, 79.6 percent of respondents support countries filing lawsuits against the U.S. tariffs with the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism to protect their legitimate rights and interests.

China emphasizes that mutually beneficial and win-win outcomes in international trade are what people aspire to. Economic bullying that shifts the burden onto others will ultimately backfire. The global economy still faces challenges such as inflation, debt, and geopolitical conflicts. Countries should strengthen cooperation rather than create opposition.

In this regard, 87.7 percent of respondents believe that no country can remain unaffected by "American-style bullying" and that all countries should join hands to confront America's bullying actions. Meanwhile, 93.5 percent of respondents stated that building a fair and mutually beneficial new international trade order is a wise choice that aligns with the interests of all parties. Another 84.9 percent of respondents believe the trade dispute, which began with unilateralism, has badly damaged the current global trade order, and the international trade system is undergoing accelerated change. Additionally, 85.3 percent of respondents believe that countries are essentially contributing to creating a more fair and reasonable international economic order by safeguarding their legitimate rights through multilateral mechanisms.

The survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian social platforms, with 5,177 overseas users participating and expressing their views within 24 hours.