From cameras to clothing and furniture, Chinese products are woven into everyday life in New York City, with residents highlighting China's manufacturing capacity, fast shipping and growing influence on the apps Americans use.
Asked which Chinese-made products have the greatest impact on his daily life, videographer Neville Breathwhite pointed to his production equipment.
"As a video artist involved in production, I would have to say the gear that I use. Cameras, drones, microphones. All of that equipment is primarily made in China, and that is a huge asset to my business," said Breathwhite.
Student Niel Pal said many of the clothes he wears and pieces of furniture in his apartment are made in China.
"A decent portion of my wardrobe, the furniture I have in my apartment, they are made in China. I think China is the best in terms of the factories and the ability to ship stuff the quickest," said Pal.
Researcher Mercedes Gallego highlighted the growing presence of Chinese-developed apps in the U.S., saying many Americans may be unaware of their origins.
"I would say apps. We are most affected by Chinese technology in America. In Europe, they have appliances and all range. But in America, I would say a lot of apps are coming from China, and people don't even know this is beyond TikTok," said Gallego.
Consultant John Smith Riocco pointed to the convenience of Chinese "super apps" such as Alipay and WeChat, saying the United States lacks comparable platforms.
"The idea of a super app. We don't really have anything equivalent to Alipay or WeChat. I had the fortune to travel to China once, and it was amazing that with those two apps, you could do anything. You could pay for things, you could buy train tickets, you could buy food, you can translate, all just by going into Alipay or going into WeChat. You can make peer-to-peer payments. We don't really have anything equivalent to that in the United States yet," said Riocco.
Speaking about China-U.S. relations, residents expressed hope that the two countries would maintain friendly ties and strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade and environmental protection, saying such efforts would benefit not only both countries but also the wider world.
"I think America and China are two of the largest countries in the world, and they have to realize how big an impact they have on the world. So if they get along with each other and really solve the problems, the global problems, like global warming is, or about this, you know, exchange, everything. So I think they really need to get along in order to really make the world a better place to live," said Brian Getz, a short-form video creator.
"If you think about environmentalism, the United States and China are basically the two world superpowers that are going to dictate what we do in terms of climate change, what we do in terms of ethics around sourcing materials -- that both countries are doing so with responsible standards and care," said Riocco.
US residents see Chinese products as part of daily life, hope for closer China-US ties
