CCTV News: Many foreigners come to China to visit and experience Chinese culture and customs in all aspects. However, more foreigners may experience China in another way.

For some time, using Chinese apps to collect express delivery, buy trendy toys, and watch short dramas has become the daily life of many foreigners. How did Chinese apps set off a global use boom? What has attracted so many foreigners? Let’s take a look together.

Data from the mobile application analysis platform shows that in the past month, Chinese apps have repeatedly topped the US mobile application rankings: Short drama apps topped the entertainment list on April 6, Dunhuang.com topped the shopping list on April 14, and Pop Mart App became the new "top streamer" in the United States on April 25. On this day, the new Pop Mart IP trendy toys were released. Hundreds of people lined up in front of the Pop Mart store in Los Angeles, and some even brought their own mattresses to queuing overnight. Cambridge and Milan are also crowded.

Not relying on price wars and low costs, this time, Chinese trendy toy brands use creativity and aesthetics to make young people around the world happy "plant grass".

When we look at the world, we find that there are more and more Chinese apps like this. Since the beginning of this year, Chinese apps have ranked among the top ten in the download volume rankings of 169 countries and regions; among them, Chinese apps have occupied more than half of the top ten seats. The "going overseas" app has been mainly used to play games to now adding applications in shopping, catering, logistics, AI, and photography. These icons familiar to Chinese people are becoming "daily applications" in foreigners' mobile phones.

How did Chinese apps attract so many foreigners?

We overlapped the app download peak and the timeline of global events. We found that China is quietly changing the world with "new ways of life".

In January, Xiaohongshu entered the top ten global download list for the first time. The real sharing on the platform breaks the regional barriers and allows young foreigners to feel the enthusiasm, warmth and the fireworks of Chinese life.

In February, DeepSeek was launched. In just a few weeks, downloads have entered the top three in the world. The "hard core" algorithm plus the smooth experience made foreign users surprised to find that Chinese big models can also be easy to use and efficient.

In April, the United States imposed a series of indiscriminate tariffs, which in turn ignited a new wave of cross-border e-commerce. Taobao App topped the first place in the shopping list in 29 countries, and "direct delivery of good goods from the source" has become a hot word. Netizens around the world have cast votes of confidence with their own downloads and consumption: Made in China is not only cheap, but also synonymous with quality.

A mobile phone, a list, downloaded again and again, foreigners are connecting a real and diverse China with their fingertips. China is also using the charm of new lifestyles to refresh the world's consumption concepts, redefine global popularity logic, and make people's lives more exciting.

How do you view the global use of Chinese apps?

More and more foreigners use Chinese apps in their daily lives. How do you view this phenomenon? Let’s listen to the interpretation of Liu Xingliang, member of the Information and Communication Economic Expert Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

China's app has set off a wave of use around the world, reflecting the advantages of supply chain and cost-effectiveness. China's complete industrial chain enables cross-border e-commerce platforms to meet global needs with low cost and high efficiency. For example, Dunhuang.com and Taobao directly connect Chinese small and medium-sized manufacturers with overseas wholesalers, taking "direct delivery of good goods from the source" as the selling point, allowing consumers to bypass middlemen and achieve low-price and high-quality consumption.

The second is technological innovation and user experience. Chinese apps integrate local experience in technological iteration to form unique competitiveness. For example, tiktok quickly attracted the attention of users around the world with its advanced content recommendation system.

The third is the two-way role of policy and market, forming a counter-trend breakthrough in the crisis. The U.S. trade protection policies such as tariffs have not only failed to curb China's steady growth, but have accelerated its penetration. For example, the Chinese factory group exposed the truth about luxury goods through tiktok, inspiring consumers to bypass brand premiums and turn to China's cross-border e-commerce platform.

The fourth is cultural output and lifestyle reconstruction, leading to the globalization from goods to values. The real sharing of Xiaohongshu allows young foreigners to feel the warmth of Chinese life, such as trendy toys and aesthetic topic rights. Pop Mart integrates oriental aesthetics into global popular culture through IP trendy toys. The globalization of Chinese apps is not only a commercial success, but also a silent revolution driven by technology, supply chain and culture.