Transcription
The United States has democracy, but China has everything else. Everyone, I've just returned from an epic two-month journey through China, where I had the pleasure of visiting six different cities and traveling from factories to trade shows to meeting with clients. And I have to tell you, the world is very different than what our media tells us every day.
Did you know that earlier this year a think tank from Denmark produced a report about democracy where they surveyed over 100 countries around the world and the results are truly shocking? 79% of countries around the globe now have a more favorable view of China than the United States. But how is this even possible? Well, if you actually go to China, experience it for yourself, and most importantly, remove yourself from this Western media bubble, you're going to understand the truth. And in today's video, I'm going to share with you five lessons I learned from my recent two-month journey through China to help you better understand the future of China and the future of our world. But make sure that you watch to the end of today's video because lesson number five is going to blow your mind. Let's jump into it.
Now, the first lesson I learned was how much the air quality in China has improved in just a few short years. And I have to be honest, this is one of the most remarkable transformations I've ever seen a country pull off. You see, when I first went to China in 2007, those were the early days and some of China's worst pollution times. I literally remember driving through Shanghai and not being able to see what color the traffic lights were because of how thick and how heavy the pollution was. But take a look at this video from Guangzhou. This is not AI. This is not photoshopped. This is simply a regular video shot on my iPhone this summer.
Now, you might be thinking, how could China pull something off like this? And the answer actually goes into a much bigger story, and it starts with one of China's greatest assets, and that is the government's 5-year plan. You see, every 5 years, the Chinese government lays out a series of goals and objectives the country will accomplish in the next 5 years. From 2021 to 2025, here are the eight major goals the Chinese government set. But I want you to pay attention to point number five. Increase the life expectancy of Chinese citizens by one year. Can you imagine that? The Chinese government set out and said to its people, "Our goal for you in the next 5 years is to literally create the conditions that will allow you to live longer." But now look at point number six on this graph. Promote green development. China is now the worldwide leader in renewable energy. And this has been a major reason the skies have cleared and pollution has been reduced. And I got to be honest, as a US citizen, I find this incredibly transformational because I know that my government would never take things like this into consideration. Most US politicians are actually worried about winning their next election or even profiting behind the scenes. But this is truly the difference. And whether you like China or not, you've got to give credit where credit's due.
Which leads us right into lesson number two, the rise of electric vehicles. Now, it's absolutely impossible to visit China in 2025 and not be blown away by how big the EV revolution has completely transformed the country. Remember lesson number one, the improvement of air quality. Well, a lot of that has to do with this rise of EVs. 25 years ago, Germany, Japan, and the United States dominated the auto industry, but all of them focused on traditional gas-powered cars. EV cars in 2000 were concept cars, but China had the vision to make it become a reality. The Chinese government got behind the industry, gave tax incentives, and interesting enough, even extended those tax credits to foreign companies. And this is exactly why Tesla and Elon Musk built the Gigafactory directly in Shanghai. I would estimate that approximately 60% of the cars on the road in China are now electric vehicles and the country is home to dozens of amazing EV brands pushing the boundaries of innovation.
And that brings me to something I saw firsthand while in China this summer. One of the biggest lessons I learned is just how far ahead China is in robotics and AI. Earlier this month, I shared a YouTube video from my visit to the World AI conference in Shanghai where I saw technology that honestly feels like it's from the future. And speaking of future tech, today's video is sponsored by X Origin, a Shenzhen-based company behind an incredible new AI family robot called Yoyo. Come and play with me. As many of my long-term fans know, I'm a father of three young children. And every summer, we come back to China to see our family and the latest in Chinese tech. And this year, Yoyo really stood out to me. You see, Yoyo isn't just a toy. It's an AI-powered companion designed for kids and families. He listens, sees, and remembers important things like birthdays and routines. He's even emotionally aware, meaning that Yoyo can sense feelings through facial expressions, tone of voice, and words, and then respond with lifelike emotions. Imagine a robot that gets excited when your kids are happy or shows concern when they're feeling down. That's Yoyo.
Now, what I love as a parent is that Yoyo is built around education and wellness. He comes with storybooks, interactive games, and even helps with homework and language translation. The best part is that Yoyo grows with your kids. The more they interact, the more he learns and adapts, becoming a truly personal companion over time. I even had the opportunity to interview the CEO of Exorin. And they're clearly thinking bigger than just making kids companion robots. You know, big innovations are always driven by dreams. And for me, the dream I really want to pursue is to create something that can truly be quote "a friend to children." Take the airplane, for instance. It wasn't invented just to make transportation easier. It came from a deeper dream. The human desire to fly. That's what really drives innovation. Chasing dreams. So, if you're curious about the future of robotics, or if you want to give your kids a safe, fun introduction to AI, check out Yoyo. Starting from today, it's available on both Amazon and Shopify. But make sure you check my video description as I'm going to give you a coupon code to save $100 off your Yoyo purchase today. Just check the description down below. A huge thank you to Exorin for supporting my content and making me the first trusted person to introduce Yoyo to you.
But now let's get to the third lesson, which is China is no longer a copycat nation. This is honestly one of the biggest misconceptions that I often hear about China. Even today in 2025, despite the plethora of new technologies coming out of China, we often hear this in the West that Chinese people can't innovate, Chinese companies can't innovate, they only know how to copy. But honestly, this couldn't be further from the truth. You see, 20 years ago, China emerged as the manufacturing powerhouse of the world because that's exactly what it did. It welcomed foreign companies into the country. It produced their goods and it was very good at manufacturing and copying. But over the last 20 years, China has completely transformed. Instead of just being a manufacturer, Chinese companies started to be an innovator. Instead of making stuff for foreign companies, they thought to themselves, "Why don't we start making our own brand?" Once again, it was amazing to attend the World AI conference in Shanghai to see firsthand how so many Chinese companies were pushing the needle and driving innovation. That's why I really love the message from today's video sponsor. Innovation comes from chasing dreams.
During my time in Guangzhou, I had an opportunity to tour the Xpeng AeroHT headquarters where China is literally building flying cars. Now, you might think that a flying car is nothing more than a gimmick and a potential waste of time. But there's actually a very important lesson to learn here. You see, Chinese companies are pushing the boundaries of innovation. Will flying cars become mainstream? Maybe, maybe not. But by inventing flying cars, China is pushing the boundaries of what we can invent. And that's how you push forward new industries and new innovations.
And that brings me to lesson number four. And this is really a big one. And it's the rise of Chinese brands. And this is honestly one of the biggest shifts I've personally witnessed in the Chinese market over the past few years. You see, when I first went to China in 2007, American soft power was king. Chinese people wanted to wear Nike sneakers, drink Starbucks coffee, use Apple iPhones, eat at McDonald's, and drive American cars, like Buick. 18 years ago, Chinese people didn't buy local. Buying overseas brands was a status symbol of luxury. But now, things have completely shifted in China. You see, for many years, I was a long-term Starbucks shareholder because at one point, Starbucks was opening a new store every 15 hours in China. Now, that article was from 2017, but at the time, China was the main reason that Starbucks stock continued to appreciate and return growth for so many years. But fast forward to today and the story is completely different with Starbucks struggling to compete against Chinese competitors. You see, this goes back to the third lesson I shared. China is no longer a copycat nation. China is inventing and pushing industries, even with coffee. China is the fastest-growing coffee market in the world, and there are even more coffee shops in Shanghai than New York City and London combined. The Chinese competitors taking down Starbucks now are offering more flavors, more fun collaborations, and know how to target domestic Chinese audiences. Quite frankly, the allure of buying an American cup of coffee from a brand like Starbucks has lost its charm in China.
But now, this even extends to other industries. One of my favorite finds this summer was a clothing brand called Bananain. Now, this store is the Chinese version of Uniqlo, offering incredibly quality athletic and active clothing at extremely affordable prices. I would put this quality on par with anything you could find from Nike or Under Armour. But actually, it's less than 60% of the cost. A no-brainer. And actually, I loaded up on this gear this summer. But now, let's take it even one step further and look how Chinese basketball sneakers have transformed the NBA. Since the mid-2000s, over 50 NBA players have signed contracts to wear Chinese brands on the court. And once again, it goes back to the Chinese EVs. It goes to coffee. It goes to food. It goes to brands. So many of the things that are consumed in our daily lives that used to be foreign brands have now been replaced by their Chinese competitors. And once again, the reason for this is very simple. China is no longer a copycat nation. China is inventing the future.
You see, all of these lessons really work together. And this is why it's so important for you to get on the ground in China. And this actually leads us into the fifth lesson that you need to know about China. And that is that China has never been more popular than right now. Now, I know that's a bold claim, but don't forget how I opened up today's video. 79% of countries around the world now have a more favorable view of China than the United States. I'll include a full link to that report down in the description below. But the truth is, the US and China are both going down very different paths. China has built the Belt and Road Initiative. Over 120 countries around the world count China as its top trading partner. And earlier this year, China signed 53 of 54 African nations and a new partnership deal that will transform the continent's future. Meanwhile, the United States government, led by Donald Trump, has started a tariff war with every country on the planet. Trump has alienated some of America's closest allies while simultaneously grown closer to some of America's biggest enemies. And quite frankly, Donald Trump has done many things that undermine the very foundation of the United States, the Constitution, and how the country actually functions. But this isn't a video explaining the problems of the United States. I'll save that for another video later. The simple truth is that more people around the world are finally waking up to the new reality of what China is really like. And all of us have social media to thank for that.
You see, last summer, China started opening up its visa policy and foreigners from around the globe started pouring into the country. In fact, just search on YouTube right now and you will see a plethora of travel vloggers giving their honest reviews of visiting China for the very first time. Chinese soft power is becoming just as strong as American soft power. And if you don't believe me, just look at the Lulubelle doll and how this Chinese toy became so popular around the world that it literally made its owner $20 billion richer this year alone. Earlier this year, China launched DeepSeek, which caught everyone in Silicon Valley off guard because China did everything open source for a fraction of the budget and immediately gifted that to the world. This is what China is doing. But once again, if you don't go to China, you don't experience it, and you only listen to Western media, all of these stories you're never going to hear.
But as promised, I asked you to wait till the end of the video for a truly shocking lesson. And I'm going to leave you with this amazing insight from Michael Schuman, chairman of one of Germany's top trading organizations. He states, "I was born in 1971. Growing up in Germany, we all looked west. I remember admiring my school friends whose parents could send them to America. Back then, ultimate success meant owning an apartment in New York overlooking Central Park. Today, having just completed a two-week journey through nine Chinese cities, I am more convinced than ever that our future will be shaped by China. The progress there is breathtaking. The integration of artificial intelligence into daily life, the use of advanced robotics, rides and fully autonomous taxis, smooth journeys on punctual high-speed trains, a people-centered society with an infrastructure second to none. I am certain that future generations will look east and perhaps before long, ultimate success will mean owning an apartment in Beijing overlooking Chaoyang Park."
Everyone, this is an incredible testimony from Michael Schuman, the chairman of Germany's most important trade organization, who obviously is trying to go around the world and secure deals. There's no doubt that Germany is going to be working closer with China for its future. Because once again, if you're sleeping on China, you're sleeping on the future. And that's exactly why I wanted to create this video to share these top five lessons I learned from my recent trip to China. But most importantly, I hope today's video inspired you to go to China because I would love for you to experience it yourself. Don't rely on the media or even this YouTube channel as your only source of information. Do your own research, go explore, stay curious, and most importantly, keep an open mind, and you'll probably be welcomed anywhere you go in the world.
Everyone, my name is Cyrus. Thank you so much for spending time with us today on YouTube. And once again, a huge thank you to Exorin and my new friend Yoyo for making this video possible. Everyone, comment down below what you thought was the best lesson. Thank you all for your amazing support and I look forward to seeing you all in our next video.