China vs India: Which country talks about the other more? And what are their opinions of each other? [Fun research]

[Kloud]

Discussions in India always seem to include China. While I was researching for another topic, this made me curious: do the Chinese think of us as frequently as we think of them?

So I researched on this and it's in 2 parts:

• Stats
• What they really think of us?

Stats​

I reviewed the top 3 news sites from both countries. And the results are the following:

Explanation:​

• "Pages that talk about the other" is the number of dedicated pages where the title mentions the other country. (For Indian news sites I filtered on 'china, chinese' and for Chinese I filtered using 印度人, 印度 (their version of Indian and India)
• For Chinese news sites, I checked only the Mandarin version of the sites and not the English.
• Percentage is nothing but the share of pages that talk about the other country
• Ahrefs (it's reverse engineered Google) was used.

Stats in words:​

• Indians mention China 2 to 4 times more.
• Out of all Indian news pages, about 0.4% of them talk about China.

What they really think of us?​

Each of the three Chinese sites possesses a unique character.

• news.qq.com is a happening place. Talks about everything (against India <> about India). And, pages have a comment section which gives you insight on what normal Chinese think. The perspective of India held by ordinary Chinese people and the Chinese government is quite different. It's a fun to learn their perception of India. The fun part it below.
• people.com.cn has a clear agenda to demean India. You could say it's run by Chinese autocrats.
• cn.chinadaily.com.cn is in-between. But it feels robotic. It talks more about trade relations and what they or us could do better.

What I think ordinary Chinese think about India:​

I believe that most Chinese view India and Indians similarly to how white people do. Their feelings are generally positive or neutral, but they don't think about us very often. For them, India is just another country. I'd be surprised if every Chinese knew about the conflicts China has with its neighbors.

Their perception (learnt from comments):

• They think we have free healthcare and education.
• Our share market > their share market. They regularly joke that their share market is sitting on 3000 points from last 5000 years.
• Indians are happy and spiritual. (I don't think Chinese people have heard about Delhiites)
• Bollywood > Chinese movies
• Rapes

And now the bonus fun part​

These are some top links dedicated to India and Indians. Tip: enable the auto translation, and of course, don't forget to check the comment section.

• India's per capita GDP is US$2,500. How many years is it behind China?
• Talking about Arunachal Pradesh: Why does India control most of the four counties in southern Tibet? India: Immigrating a million people is not a dream
• They were also forced to become part of the Ambani wedding like us: The wedding of the son of India's richest man cost 4.7 billion in 3 days, and the details of the sky-high gift and expenses were fully exposed
• Ridiculous stereotypes about India

Screenshots of some funnier comment sections:

Spoiler: A raw list of some top links talking about India:

https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240701A03C4200
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240623A000GS00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240815A00TAS00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240713A03GM200
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20220111A03RVG00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240527A07XJO00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241010A000VK00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241001A00UO600
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240716A007FE00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250217A00OO000
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240925A01FDV00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20210126A07TH400
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240915A01PK200
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20231008A01H0300
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20210518A0CMCV00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240827A06P0300
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241029A05TX100
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241027A04I4600
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241025A00FEI00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240218A031HC00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241024A02B6O00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20231211A03CB900
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250227A058O100
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20220604A05ZB600
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20231206A06Q2J00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241028A03X8U00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20220413A07AIS00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241006A03I0400
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241216A06D6700
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240902A047M700
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20230902A07RML00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250105A072QN00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240906A00EEM00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240929A056SN00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240106A01YHH00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240901A07D1200
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240914A0263700
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241015A07DDE00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20240802A08NRY00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20210209A09Z3K00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20230723A04GSG00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20221122A04LUT00
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250216A02YCO00

 

[blr_p]

Discussions in India always seem to include China. While I was researching for another topic, this made me curious: do the Chinese think of us as frequently as we think of them?

Depends which Chinese we're talking about

• Indians mention China 2 to 4 times more.

Doesn't mean much and its common for CCP bots to imply India isn't important.

Fact is, India is and likely to become more important for the CCP.

Given the steady pace border infrastructure is continuing, it's clear the PLA will have to consider seriously the possibility of an Indian offensive into Tibet and build defenses accordingly

段彬：盘点莫迪任内中印边境基建，发现这情况有点……

www.guancha.cn

See how carefully he discusses our infrastructure. He's sounding the alarm.

What they really think of us?

The perspective of India held by ordinary Chinese people and the Chinese government is quite different.

Bingo!

What the ordinary Chinese thinks is irrelevant.

Ergo what the CCP thinks about us is what we care about. And the way you gauge that is by the degree of concern those speaking for the CCP express.

The CCP affects how their people at large think about us.

It's a fun to learn their perception of India. The fun part it below.

• people.com.cn has a clear agenda to demean India. You could say it's run by Chinese autocrats.

Stick to government publications or their think tanks. And what do they say about India.


^That. Now think of counter measures

Do yourself a favour and follow people qualified to speak on this subject. eg.

General's been following our friends up north since the 80s. He's also commanded troops at the border so he knows what his counterparts are made of

^Already posted this one before

What I think ordinary Chinese think about India:
I believe that most Chinese view India and Indians similarly to how white people do. Their feelings are generally positive or neutral, but they don't think about us very often. For them, India is just another country. I'd be surprised if every Chinese knew about the conflicts China has with its neighbors.

Ordinary people don't matter because they can't affect much. Mostly benign. Where they matter is if a large bloc thinks alike or can be influenced to think a certain way

From a narrative warfare perspective the Chinese people are the achilles heel of the CCP. Only thing CCP thugs fear the most is their people.

• Indians are happy and spiritual. (I don't think Chinese people have heard about Delhiites)

Falun gong support grew from negligible to a 100 million during the 90s. Then the CCP cracked down on their supporters.

God cannot be bigger than the CCP in the PRC.

• India: Immigrating a million people is not a dream

Fact is lots of monied Chinese are running away from China should tell you they don't trust their kids future to the PRC

CCP is not China
PRC is not China

What China is or was is better gauged by the Taiwanese

 

[Kloud]

It was supposed to be a fun research. And, I was more curious about normal Chinese, as we already know what the CCP wants.

Doesn't mean much and its common for CCP bots to imply India isn't important.

Fact is, India is and likely to become more important for the CCP.

If I have to guess, the CCP doesn't need to market its international conflicts, as it's not a democracy. Our Govts have to do that; otherwise they'll get fewer votes.

What the ordinary Chinese thinks is irrelevant.

I concur, yet that was the primary point of interest.

The CCP affects how their people at large think about us.

Why? If its people's opinion don't matter, then there's a no need for this exercise.

From this research, other encounters like in person, other forums like Quora, I have observed that, in general, Chinese people don't keep any strong opinions about India or Indians. Discussing India doesn't seem to their favorite paste time.

^That. Now think of counter measures

Not a surprise. Replace India with Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand or any other neighbor and the points remain valid.

Fact is lots of monied Chinese are running away from China should tell you they don't trust their kids future to the PRC

At first glance, it looks shocking. But the more we think about it, it seems only logical.

The current upper middle class in China is in a sweet spot today. They have sufficient funds to explore citizenship options, much like the Indian upper middle class does for housing in major cities. If our population reaches that level of wealth, we may see even more Indians leaving.