Chinese give higher priority to ties with EU than US, others

London, Feb.18 (ANI) - The Chinese people give more priority to their country's relationship with the European Union as compared to relations with the United States and many other countries, according to a survey.

The survey, conducted in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chengdu and Nanning, was based on questions answered by 3,019 randomly selected people. Approximately 74.1 percent viewed the European Union positively, 73.6 percent voted in favour of Russia and 59.9 percent voted for the United States.

The EU remained China's largest trading partner in 2010, and China is one of the EU's top markets.

China has signed many technology partnership agreements with the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France recently, highlighting the important role of advanced European technology in the development of Chinese industries.

In recent years, both Chinese as well as EU leaders have increased the exchange of visits, to overcome misunderstandings and promote communication and cooperation not only in business and trade, but also in the field of education and culture, The China Daily reports.

"International trust has been shown to have a significant effect on citizens' opinions about foreign affairs," says Jan Delhey, professor of sociology at Germany's Jacobs University Bremen. (ANI)