Poll: French optimistic on relations with China

Majority of people recognize Beijing's strong development in several fields

A majority of French think China will become the strongest country in the world by 2050 and the relations between China and France will be characterized as both partners and competitors, a survey of French public opinion finds.

The survey "China and the World in the Eyes of French" was conducted by researchers from the Institute of National Communication Strategy at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and published ahead of the three-day state visit of France's President Emmanuel Macron to China starting from Wednesday.

It collected 1,087 valid online questionnaires from French participants to examine the basic features of the French public's "perception of the world" from four aspects — perceptions of major international powers, China, Europe, and Asia.