China climbs on soft power index while Trump pulls US down, but the gap’s still yuuuuge
An annual index shows China ’s influence around the world is on the rise, while the US, thanks to ‘America First’, is losing ground
According to an annual global ranking of soft power issued Tuesday, China’s influence has risen for the second year in a row, up to 25th worldwide from 28th last year, while the US dropped from first place to third, sliding for the first time since the ranking was introduced in 2015.
However, Uncle Sam still holds much more soft power than most countries, including China – third in the world after France and the United Kingdom.
The annual report completed in June, known as the Soft Power 30 Index, is conducted by researchers from Portland, a strategic communications consultancy based in London, and the University of Southern California Centre on Public Diplomacy. They measured the influence and reputation of 61 nations using objective data across six categories – government, culture, education, global engagement, enterprise and digital – and international polling from 25 countries representing every major region of the world.
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“The story of this year’s Soft Power 30 index and the wider report is the shifting dynamic between the US and China,” said Jonathan McClory, an analyst at Portland and the study’s author. “Where we see the traditional role of US global leadership in retreat, China is clearly stepping in to drive the global agenda forward.”
