More than 26,000 surveyed on effectiveness of 10 world figures

President Xi Jinping came out on top in a 30-country survey that asked more than 26,000 people who the most effective world leader is.

Xi's score was 7.5 out of 10, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 7.3 and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's 7.2. The other 10 leaders in the poll included US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The survey has been analyzed by Anthony Saich, professor of international affairs and director of the Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

Xi scored high marks in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

The survey covered 12 Asian countries, four from Africa, four from the Americas, eight from Europe and two from Oceania.

Saich, a renowned China expert, analyzed data from a recent international survey titled Report of Citizens' View of 10 Key National Leaders. Japanese research firm GMO conducted the survey.

The 10 world leaders in the survey were Xi, Obama, Cameron, Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma.

In terms of ratings of their own leaders in their respective countries, Xi was the highest-rated leader, with a ranking of 9 out of a possible 10. Putin followed with 8.7, trailed by Modi and Zuma.

The survey also showed that Xi's visits abroad have made a significant difference in terms of global recognition and appreciation of the Chinese leader.

"Regarding people's trust in President Xi's domestic and international policies, appreciation rises 10 percent for those countries that he visited", and unsurprisingly, awareness of Xi also rose in those countries by 10 percent, according to Saich's analysis.

"This would seem to argue for the value of state visits," Saich said.

Ji Zhiye, president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that Xi "is a good storyteller when delivering keynote speeches" during trips abroad, and the stories he resorted to sound familiar and intriguing to his audiences.

It's an approach that drifts away from the official, monotonous manner of many formal statements, Ji said.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said that as the president rolls out more diplomatic and development initiatives, China should continue to be ready to share benefits and opportunities with members of the international community, "which builds up its image".

China's rapid development left a profound impression on the people surveyed in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

As China is growing, "there is increasing expectations from around the world for China to shoulder more responsibilities of a major country", Ruan said.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn