Over 86 percent of respondents believe China enjoys a greater global influence, a Global Times poll said on Thursday.
The poll, conducted by the Global Times Global Poll Center through computer-assisted telephone interviews from July 22 to August 1, involved 2,203 people from 16 major cities including Beijing and regional capitals such as Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region to help the public better understand China's development.
More people living in metropolitan areas such as Beijing believe that China is an Asian superpower, while those from Lhasa said China is a global superpower.
The poll also found that over 66 percent said China can develop peacefully and become a world power, and 12.5 percent said they believe that China is a world power.
On bilateral ties, over 68 percent said they are optimistic about relations between China and Russia, which they said are at their peak, and 51 percent said they hope for even closer ties.
Some 56.8 percent said they are optimistic about relations with South Korea, while 30 percent said Sino-Japanese relations have suffered a major setback.
Meanwhile, more than 60 percent of the respondents said they feel China's sovereignty and territorial integrity could be threatened.
Some Southeast Asian countries have expressed opposition to China's construction activities in the South China Sea, while analysts have warned of potential Japanese intervention after the country passed security bills to enhance its right to collective self-defense.
