Figure 2
The world map is displayed with continents outlined in light gray and multiple countries shaded in varying intensities of blue. China appears in the darkest shade, indicating the central focus. Several straight lines extend from China to multiple regions across the world, forming a network of global connections. Lines connect China westward to Europe, including a central European region, and further toward North America, reaching the United States. Additional lines extend southward toward parts of Africa and across the Indian Ocean region. Other connections stretch southeast toward Southeast Asia and further toward Australia. North America, parts of Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia are shaded in medium blue, while other regions, such as South America and Africa, appear in lighter blue tones, indicating varying levels of association. The map includes latitude and longitude axes labels along the bottom and left edges. A small emblem appears at the lower-right corner of the map.Countries and collaboration map. Source 1: Processed by the authors using RStudio