William Zhang

Beijing-based Chinese media veteran tracking China’s interactions with the world. RT=relevance, not endorsement.

[World of Statistics @stats_feed]

% of the population that speaks fluent English:

🇨🇳 China - 0.9%
🇧🇷 Brazil - 5%
🇷🇺 Russia - 5%
🇮🇳 India - 10.5%
🇲🇽 Mexico - 12.9%
🇮🇹 Italy - 13.74%
🇹🇷 Turkey - 17%
🇪🇸 Spain - 22%
🇮🇩 Indonesia - 30.8%
🇿🇦 South Africa - 31%
🇷🇴 Romania - 31%
🇪🇬 Egypt - 39.9%
🇵🇱 Poland - 49.1%
🇵🇰 Pakistan - 49~58%
🇬🇷 Greece - 51%
🇳🇬 Nigeria - 51~57%
🇩🇪 Germany - 56%
🇫🇷 France - 57.2%
🇵🇭 Philippines - 58.2%
🇧🇪 Belgium - 60%
🇦🇹 Austria - 73%
🇫🇮 Finland - 75%
🇨🇦 Canada - 83%
🇩🇰 Denmark - 86%
🇸🇪 Sweden - 89%
🇳🇴 Norway - 90%
🇳🇱 Netherlands - 90.9%
🇦🇺 Australia - 92.8%
🇺🇸 USA - 95.5%
🇸🇬 Singapore - 96.4%
🇳🇿 New Zealand - 97.8%
🇬🇧 UK - 98.3%
🇮🇪 Ireland - 98.37%
🇬🇮 Gibraltar - 100%

According to Census, Crystal, Euromonitor, Eurobarometer, and other local sources

[Global Times @globaltimesnews]

#Opinion: #China does not give lessons; China shares its experiences. And it is high time we #Indians learn from these experiences and set our own goals. China’s rise should not frighten India into defensiveness. It should challenge India into ambition.
https://t.co/Anq1ExbInV

[Global Statistics @Globalstats11]

Top 20 Largest Megacities by 2100

1. 🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria
2. 🇨🇩 Kinshasa, DRC
3. 🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
4. 🇮🇳 Mumbai, India
5. 🇮🇳 Delhi, India
6. 🇸🇩 Khartoum, Sudan
7. 🇳🇪 Niamey, Niger
8. 🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh
9. 🇮🇳 Kolkata, India
10. 🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan
11. 🇵🇰 Karachi, Pakistan
12. 🇰🇪 Nairobi, Kenya
13. 🇲🇼 Lilongwe, Malawi
14. 🇲🇼 Blantyre, Malawi
15. 🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt
16. 🇺🇬 Kampala, Uganda
17. 🇵🇭 Manila, Philippines
18. 🇿🇲 Lusaka, Zambia
19. 🇸🇴 Mogadishu, Somalia
20. 🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Source: Visual Capitalist

[𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 @OopsGuess]

January: “I have almost never lost to a Chinese model.”
August: a Chinese agent surpasses Anthropic and tops OSWorld at 90.2%.

Dario didn’t predict the future.
He merely volunteered to become its punchline.

[ChinAfrica magazine @chinafrica1]

China's AI-driven MAZU platform boosts Africa's weather forecasting amid climate change
#MAZU https://t.co/LgrKhdwExJ

[Arvind Shukla @ArvindShuk83]

Sunac workers are protesting in Shanghai for unpaid wages, a classic “contractual surprise” in an industry where labor laws are strictly enforced on paper but magically invisible at the construction site.

Nothing says "legal protection" like having to hold a protest to get paid!

[𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 @OopsGuess]

Western media spent years declaring Hong Kong “dead.”

Now Bloomberg reports that expats are flocking back for lower taxes, better jobs, and more opportunities.

The truth is simple:

Hong Kong was never dying because it was part of China.

It was being strangled by political chaos, foreign interference, and colonial lackeys who mistook social paralysis for freedom.

Once order returned, the city’s real advantages became visible again:

low taxes, global finance, deep infrastructure, and the economic weight of mainland China behind it.

Capital does not care about protest mythology.

Talent does not live on Western headlines.

They go where the opportunities are.

And as long as Hong Kong stands with China behind it, the city may suffer cycles—but it will not be abandoned.

[The Data of Everything @TheDataHubX]

Top 30 Highest-Grossing Movies Worldwide (All Time)

1) 🇺🇸 Avatar (2009) - $2.924B
2) 🇺🇸 Avengers: Endgame (2019) - $2.799B
3) 🇺🇸 Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - $2.334B
4) 🇺🇸 Titanic (1997) - $2.265B
5) 🇨🇳 Ne Zha 2 (2025) - $2.260B
6) 🇺🇸 Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - $2.071B
7) 🇺🇸 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - $2.052B
8) 🇺🇸 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - $1.921B
9) 🇺🇸 Zootopia 2 (2025) - $1.850B
10) 🇺🇸 Inside Out 2 (2024) - $1.699B

11) 🇺🇸 Jurassic World (2015) - $1.672B
12) 🇺🇸 The Lion King (2019) - $1.662B
13) 🇺🇸 The Avengers (2012) - $1.521B
14) 🇺🇸 Furious 7 (2015) - $1.515B
15) 🇺🇸 Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - $1.496B
16) 🇺🇸 Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) - $1.474B
17) 🇺🇸 Frozen II (2019) - $1.454B
18) 🇺🇸 Barbie (2023) - $1.447B
19) 🇺🇸 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - $1.405B
20) 🇺🇸 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - $1.361B

21) 🇺🇸 Black Panther (2018) - $1.350B
22) 🇬🇧🇺🇸 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) - $1.343B
23) 🇺🇸 Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) - $1.338B
24) 🇺🇸 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - $1.334B
25) 🇺🇸 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - $1.309B
26) 🇺🇸 Frozen (2013) - $1.287B
27) 🇺🇸 Beauty and the Beast (2017) - $1.266B
28) 🇺🇸 Incredibles 2 (2018) - $1.243B
29) 🇺🇸 The Fate of the Furious (2017) - $1.236B
30) 🇺🇸 Iron Man 3 (2013) - $1.216B

Source: Box Office Mojo

[The Data of Everything @TheDataHubX]

Sacred Animals and Birds in Different Religions & Cultures

1. 🕉️ Hinduism - Cow 🐄
2. ☸️ Buddhism - Deer 🦌
3. ✝️ Christianity - Dove 🕊️
4. ☪️ Islam - Hoopoe 🐦
5. ✡️ Judaism (Bird) - Dove 🕊️
6. ✡️ Judaism (Animal) - Ram 🐏
7. ☬ Sikhism - Horse 🐎
8. ☀️ Zoroastrianism - Rooster 🐓
9. 🏺 Ancient Egypt (Bull) - Apis Bull 🐂
10. 🏺 Ancient Egypt (Cat) - Cat 🐈
11. 🏺 Ancient Egypt (Bird) - Ibis 🐦
12. 🦅 Native American Traditions - Eagle 🦅
13. 🐉 Chinese Culture - Dragon 🐉
14. 🏛️ Greek Mythology - Owl 🦉
15. 🗾 Japanese Culture - Koi Fish 🐟
16. 🇰🇷 Korean Culture - Tiger 🐅

[𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 @OopsGuess]

“For the first time in nearly two decades, China is viewed more favorably than the United States in most countries surveyed—but the findings say more about a decline in U.S. soft power than a Chinese surge.”

That single sentence exposes the entire mindset.

America loses global trust, and it is treated as a temporary deviation caused by Trump.

China gains global trust, and it is immediately denied ownership of its own success.

China’s infrastructure, industrial capacity, affordable technology, development partnerships, and diplomatic predictability apparently count for nothing.

The world is not allowed to prefer China.
It may only be temporarily disappointed in America.

Even when Pew and Gallup record the same geopolitical shift, this clown into the old catechism:

America will become lovable again once the wrong president leaves.
China may be more respected, but it is not “democratic.”
Therefore, the result cannot be real, durable, or deserved.

The data says the world is changing.

@YanzhongHuang insists the world is merely waiting for America to become worthy of worship again.

America’s decline is always temporary.
China’s rise is never legitimate.

This is a textbook case of academic dishonesty:

the data is acknowledged, then stripped of any meaning that threatens American exceptionalism.

He did not analyze the geopolitical shift.

He performed ideological damage control—an overseas believer administering CPR to the American dream.

[Cata Paul 🃏‍‍‍ @CataPaul2]

🏮 Traditional Festival Lanterns of Asia

🇨🇳 China — Dēnglóng (Chinese Red Lantern)
🇯🇵 Japan — Chōchin (Paper Lantern)
🇰🇷 South Korea — Cheongsachorong (Blue-and-Red Lantern)
🇻🇳 Vietnam — Hội An (Silk Lantern)
🇹🇭 Thailand — Khom Lanna (Hanging Lantern)
🇮🇳 India — Akashdeep (Diwali Lantern)
🇮🇩 Indonesia — Lampion (Traditional Lantern)
🇳🇵 Nepal — Aakash Diyo (Tihar Lantern)
🇹🇼 Taiwan — Huādēng (Flower Lantern)
🇵🇭 Philippines — Paról (Star Lantern)

[Global Times @globaltimesnews]

Several major online audio-visual platforms announced on Tuesday they have removed more than 13,300 artificial intelligence (AI)-manipulated videos that distort classic film and television works and took action against over 30 accounts as part of a crackdown on AI-altered content violations in July. https://t.co/yzXxLtZZor

[Yicai 第一财经 @yicaichina]

Chinese scientist Wang Jinsong has become the first Chinese recipient of the William Nordberg Medal, a prestigious international award recognizing outstanding contributions to the application of space science, during #COSPAR2026 in Florence, Italy yesterday, CCTV News reported today. A minor planet has also been named after him as part of an honor extended to medal recipients since 2018.

[World of Statistics @stats_feed]

🚶 Average daily steps by country:

🇭🇰 Hong Kong: 6,880
🇨🇳 China: 6,189
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 6,107
🇯🇵 Japan: 6,010
🇸🇪 Sweden: 6,461
🇩🇰 Denmark: 6,394
🇵🇱 Poland: 6,504
🇨🇿 Czechia: 6,201
🇫🇮 Finland: 5,999
🇳🇴 Norway: 5,863
🇩🇪 Germany: 5,205
🇦🇺 Australia: 5,765
🇳🇿 New Zealand: 5,542
🇨🇦 Canada: 5,128
🇫🇷 France: 5,141
🇮🇪 Ireland: 5,784
🇬🇧 UK: 5,951
🇧🇪 Belgium: 5,712
🇳🇱 Netherlands: 5,492
🇨🇭 Switzerland: 5,765
🇦🇹 Austria: 5,339
🇵🇹 Portugal: 5,093
🇪🇸 Spain: 5,936
🇮🇹 Italy: 5,296
🇬🇷 Greece: 4,967
🇰🇷 South Korea: 5,755
🇮🇱 Israel: 5,765
🇹🇷 Turkey: 5,335
🇲🇽 Mexico: 4,692
🇺🇸 USA: 4,774
🇨🇱 Chile: 4,961
🇧🇷 Brazil: 4,289
🇿🇦 South Africa: 4,105
🇮🇳 India: 4,297
🇪🇬 Egypt: 4,315
🇵🇭 Philippines: 4,008
🇲🇾 Malaysia: 3,963
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: 3,807
🇮🇩 Indonesia: 3,513

Global average: ~4,961 steps/day

Source: World of Statistics · Stanford University / Nature (Althoff et al.) + PureGym Global Survey 2024

[China Beige Book @ChinaBeigeBook]

"#China’s state-backed #CXMT is poised to produce smartphone #memory chips that are on par w/the industry’s most advanced designs, highlighting the speed at which Beijing is gaining ground in a field critical for AI deployment"
https://t.co/XwuXcICnsI

[Global Times @globaltimesnews]

US lawmakers have requested information from food delivery company DoorDash on its use of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models, CNBC reported over the weekend. Chinese industry experts said on Sunday that the US lawmakers’ actions are largely driven by a political agenda to curb the rising adoption of Chinese AI models in the US, reflecting a deep worry of losing its sci-tech hegemony. Such actions would raise the costs of US companies and consumers, they warned. https://t.co/cMby2z8AvI

[William Zhang @wmzhang2008]

China now has 61.

[Stats Globe @statsglobe]

Countries with the Most UNESCO World Heritage Sites 🏛

1. 🇮🇹 Italy - 61
2. 🇨🇳 China - 60
3. 🇩🇪 Germany - 55
4. 🇫🇷 France - 54
5. 🇪🇸 Spain - 50
6. 🇮🇳 India - 44
7. 🇲🇽 Mexico - 36
8. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom - 35
9. 🇷🇺 Russia - 33
10. 🇮🇷 Iran - 29
11. 🇯🇵 Japan - 26
12. 🇺🇸 United States - 26
13. 🇧🇷 Brazil - 25
14. 🇨🇦 Canada - 22
15. 🇹🇷 Türkiye - 22
16. 🇦🇺 Australia - 21
17. 🇬🇷 Greece - 20
18. 🇨🇿 Czechia - 17
19. 🇵🇱 Poland - 17
20. 🇵🇹 Portugal - 17
21. 🇰🇷 South Korea - 17
22. 🇧🇪 Belgium - 16
23. 🇸🇪 Sweden - 15

Note: UNESCO World Heritage Sites include cultural, natural, and mixed sites. Figures reflect the latest UNESCO World Heritage List (2025).

[Stats Globe @statsglobe]

Countries with the Most UNESCO World Heritage Sites 🏛

1. 🇮🇹 Italy - 61
2. 🇨🇳 China - 60
3. 🇩🇪 Germany - 55
4. 🇫🇷 France - 54
5. 🇪🇸 Spain - 50
6. 🇮🇳 India - 44
7. 🇲🇽 Mexico - 36
8. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom - 35
9. 🇷🇺 Russia - 33
10. 🇮🇷 Iran - 29
11. 🇯🇵 Japan - 26
12. 🇺🇸 United States - 26
13. 🇧🇷 Brazil - 25
14. 🇨🇦 Canada - 22
15. 🇹🇷 Türkiye - 22
16. 🇦🇺 Australia - 21
17. 🇬🇷 Greece - 20
18. 🇨🇿 Czechia - 17
19. 🇵🇱 Poland - 17
20. 🇵🇹 Portugal - 17
21. 🇰🇷 South Korea - 17
22. 🇧🇪 Belgium - 16
23. 🇸🇪 Sweden - 15

Note: UNESCO World Heritage Sites include cultural, natural, and mixed sites. Figures reflect the latest UNESCO World Heritage List (2025).

[World of StatHistics @Stat_Cult]

💰 World's Largest Economies (2025 GDP) & Average Annual Real GDP Growth (2000–2025) 💰

1. 🇺🇸 United States → $30.616T | 2.1%

2. 🇨🇳 China → $19.399T | 8.0%

3. 🇩🇪 Germany → $5.014T | 1.0%

4. 🇯🇵 Japan → $4.280T | 0.6%

5. 🇮🇳 India → $4.125T | 6.4%

6. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom → $3.959T | 1.5%

7. 🇫🇷 France → $3.362T | 1.2%

8. 🇮🇹 Italy → $2.544T | 0.4%

9. 🇷🇺 Russia → $2.541T | 3.0%

10. 🇨🇦 Canada → $2.284T | 1.9%

11. 🇧🇷 Brazil → $2.257T | 2.3%

12. 🇪🇸 Spain → $1.891T | 1.7%

13. 🇲🇽 Mexico → $1.863T | 1.5%

14. 🇰🇷 South Korea → $1.859T | 3.4%

15. 🇦🇺 Australia → $1.830T | 2.7%

16. 🇹🇷 Türkiye → $1.565T | 5.0%

17. 🇮🇩 Indonesia → $1.443T | 4.9%

18. 🇳🇱 Netherlands → $1.321T | 1.5%

19. 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia → $1.269T | 3.9%

20. 🇵🇱 Poland → $1.040T | 3.6%

21. 🇨🇭 Switzerland → $1.003T | 1.8%

22. 🇹🇼 Taiwan → $884B | 3.7%

23. 🇧🇪 Belgium → $717B | 1.6%

24. 🇮🇪 Ireland → $709B | 5.2%

25. 🇦🇷 Argentina → $683B | 1.9%

26. 🇸🇪 Sweden → $662B | 1.8%

27. 🇮🇱 Israel → $611B | 3.5%

28. 🇸🇬 Singapore → $574B | 4.5%

29. 🇦🇪 UAE → $569B | 3.9%

30. 🇦🇹 Austria → $566B | 1.3%

31. 🇹🇭 Thailand → $559B | 3.2%

32. 🇳🇴 Norway → $517B | 1.6%

33. 🇵🇭 Philippines → $494B | 5.0%

34. 🇻🇳 Vietnam → $485B | 6.4%

35. 🇧🇩 Bangladesh → $475B | 5.9%

36. 🇲🇾 Malaysia → $471B | 4.5%

37. 🇩🇰 Denmark → $460B | 1.4%

38. 🇨🇴 Colombia → $438B | 3.5%

39. 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR → $428B | 2.7%

40. 🇿🇦 South Africa → $426B | 2.1%

41. 🇷🇴 Romania → $423B | 3.5%

42. 🇵🇰 Pakistan → $410B | 3.9%

43. 🇨🇿 Czechia → $383B | 2.4%

44. 🇮🇷 Iran → $357B | 3.1%

45. 🇪🇬 Egypt → $349B | 4.3%

46. 🇨🇱 Chile → $347B | 3.4%

47. 🇵🇹 Portugal → $338B | 1.0%

48. 🇵🇪 Peru → $318B | 4.2%

49. 🇫🇮 Finland → $315B | 1.1%

50. 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan → $300B | 5.6%

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook (2025)

[Nikkei Asia @NikkeiAsia]

Why Nvidia and others in Silicon Valley oppose a US ban on Chinese AI

America's tech ecosystem needs open-weight models to drive growth as AI bubble fears grow
https://t.co/FumOcpSvVY