This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

The Chinese state broadcaster has released videos of foreign nationals praising the country on the eve of celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, as research showed worsening perceptions in many western countries.

The videos posted over the weekend show foreign citizens, identified by country, singing patriotic ballads and praising China’s culture and development. “I love you China … I love your homegrown sugar cane, that quenches my heart like milk,” sing participants, who include Canadians, Germans and Americans, in a video filmed in the eastern city of Nanjing.

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The video was posted by the state broadcaster CCTV with English subtitles on YouTube, which is blocked by authorities inside the country. In another video Thai citizens praise Chinese films, bridge engineering and traditional food.

But a report released on Sunday by the US-based Pew Research Center showed perceptions of China had declined in the past year in countries including the US, which is locked in a bitter trade war with Beijing, Canada, Sweden and Australia.

A median of 41% of almost 35,000 respondents in 32 countries surveyed had a favourable opinion of China, compared with 37% unfavourable.

China’s president, Xi Jinping, will oversee a military celebration on Tuesday in which weapons and 15,000 soldiers will parade across Tiananmen Square. Tanks, bombers, a supersonic drone and a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US are expected to be among nearly 600 pieces of military hardware and 160 aircraft on display.

Xi is expected to watch from the south entrance of the Forbidden City, the same spot where Mao proclaimed the founding of the PRC. About 100,000 civilians will walk the parade route, along with 70 floats highlighting the country’s accomplishments. Numeric symbols will feature prominently, with the organisers releasing 70,000 doves and 70,000 balloons. In the evening, artists will take over Tiananmen for a performance that will be capped by a fireworks show