This year marks the 20th anniversary of the "Two Mountains" concept proposed by President Xi Jinping, calling clear waters and lush mountains invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend. A global opinion poll released by CGTN, covering 24,515 respondents from 48 countries, shows broad international endorsement of China's ecological vision. The survey highlights strong approval of China's ecological governance and green transition efforts, reinforcing its global reputation as a leader, driving force, and committed actor in climate and environmental governance.

On perceptions of China's ecological governance and green-development concepts, respondents were most familiar with the concept "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," followed by the ideas of "ecological governance should be internalized as a conscious action by all its people," "relying on institutions and the rule of law to protect the environment," and "treating green development as a vital component of high-quality growth," which ranked second, third and fourth, respectively. The survey reveals that 81.6 percent of global respondents believe the "Two Mountains" concept has broken the traditional "polluting first and cleaning up later" model of growth. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has sustained an average annual economic growth rate of over 6 percent with just 3 percent annual growth in energy consumption. The survey finds that 71.8 percent of respondents positively evaluate China's coordinated progress in high-quality economic growth and high-standard ecological conservation, while 59.9 percent consider China's integration of green development into its five-year plans and the entire socio-economic development process worthy of emulation by other countries.

According to the poll, respondents widely acknowledge China's achievements in ecological governance and green transition with 68.8 percent praising its large-scale afforestation efforts in restoring forest coverage, 66.5 percent recognizing its windbreak and sand-fixation forest belts in combating desertification, and 68.9 percent affirming the role of its national park system in protecting biodiversity. Furthermore, 70.5 percent applaud China's expansion of clean energy infrastructure (wind, solar, etc.), while 69.6 percent support its promotion of clean energy in daily life and production.

When assessing China's role in global climate and ecological governance, respondents predominantly identify it as a driver (49.7 percent), followed by leader (43.9 percent) and practitioner (43.5 percent), with notably stronger approval from Global South countries where 57.1 percent, 52.7 percent, and 48.2 percent endorse these respective roles. Particularly among G7 countries, UK and U.S. respondents stand out in recognizing China's leadership position. The survey further reveals widespread acknowledgment of China's contributions to global climate and environmental governance: not only do 76.7 percent agree on China's effective control of greenhouse gas emissions, but 79.9 percent also acknowledge its exemplary practices in energy conservation, while 75.5 percent highlight how China's clean energy exports accelerate partners' green transition and 75.1 percent recognize its new energy sector's global supply of high-quality goods and promotion of green development. Additionally, 71.2 percent praise China's afforestation efforts and 73.4 percent endorse its governance solutions. It is noteworthy that Global South respondents demonstrate 7-11 percentage points higher approval than average and younger respondents (under the age of 44) consistently show above-average support across all categories.

The survey was conducted by CGTN in partnership with the New Era International Communication Research Institute which was jointly established by China Media Group (CMG) and Renmin University of China (RUC), covering 24,515 respondents across 48 countries worldwide. The participant countries included both major developed nations and Global South countries, with all respondents being general citizens aged 18 and above. The sample distribution aligns with each country's census data in terms of age and gender demographics.