China continues to rise up The Soft Power 30 rankings

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China has moved up to 25th position in The Soft Power 30 rankings, rising two places from last year's 28th place and the 30th in 2015.

The 2017 Soft Power 30, which is published by PR firm Portland Communications and the University of Southern California Centre on Public Diplomacy, said that the improvement in China’s ranking is “a reflection of China’s most committed approach to soft power in recent years”.

The country has improved its performance in culture, engagement, government, polling and education compared to last year, but its ranking in the digital and enterprise section decreased. China's highest ranking was in culture (8th), while it sat at the bottom of the digital table.

Many factors, including the opening of hundreds of Confucius Institutes around the world, the substantial international promotion of domestic brands and an increase in innovation and R&D spending, contributed to the elevation of China’s soft power.

However, the Soft Power 30 believed that China’s improved performance was undermined by its hard-line approach to foreign policy and human rights, such as construction in the South China Sea and increased defence spending.

Meanwhile, due to Emmanuel Macron's overwhelming election victory, France leapfrogged the United Kingdom and last year’s number one the United States to become the country with the strongest soft power. German and Canada complete the top five while Japan was the best placed Asian country in 6th.

Launched in 2015, the study uses polling in 25 countries and digital data to measure a country's soft power. ...