China has overtaken the United Kingdom to take second place on the 2025 Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index, which was released on Thursday.
While the United States retained the top position, China took second spot for the first time with a score of 72.8 out of 100, according to the report published by the British consulting firm Brand Finance.
The annual index, based on a survey of more than 170,000 respondents across 100 countries, assesses the global image of the 193 UN member states and provides an in-depth analysis of 'soft power' across multiple dimensions.
The agency has divided the building blocks of 'soft power' into eight key pillars: business and trade, international relations, education and science, culture and heritage, governance, media and communication, sustainable future, and people and values.
The report also noted that since 2024 China has made significant progress in six of the eight soft power pillars and two-thirds of measured attributes.
This stems from strategic efforts such as the Belt and Road Initiative, an increased focus on sustainability, and stronger domestic brands moving in to global markets, said David Haigh, Chairman of Brand Finance.
China ranked second in global soft power index
Russian and Kenyan experts have hailed China's Central Economic Work Conference as a pivotal moment in shaping China's economic future, with its resilience offering a stabilizing force for the global market.
Their comments followed the annual Central Economic Work Conference, held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the conference, in which he reviewed the country's economic work in 2025, analyzed the current economic situation, and arranged next year's economic work.
Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the HSE University, emphasized the significance of the meeting.
"This conference is of great significance. It is not only related to the assessment of China's current economic situation, but also outlined the priorities for the future, including the next five-year plan. There has been a renewed emphasis on the significant role of new quality productive forces, new growth points, and sci-tech development. This economic work conference places a greater emphasis on action. The content of the meeting covers various economic indicators that China hopes to achieve in the near future and involves a series of specific measures aimed at optimizing economic quality and ensuring sustainable development," he said.
Kashin said China's economic progress reflects a shift towards high-tech, sustainable industries and environmental improvements.
"The achievements of China's economy are primarily related to the changes in the export structure and the sources of growth. Enterprises in the high-tech, digital economy, and renewable energy fields are playing an increasingly important role. Their product exports are on the rise, which include electrical transportation equipment, latest types of vehicles, and complex industrial equipment. This is a very important achievement. China has also carried out a great deal of work in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, optimizing the ecological environment, and raising ecological standards. These are the main achievements China has made so far," said Kashin.
Meanwhile, James Shikwati, a Kenyan economist and director of the Inter-Region Economic Network, hailed China's economic resilience over the past five years.
"China's show of economic resilience for the last five years has given the global economic sector a stabilizing factor, because right now, as you speak, many countries are in panic mode because of protectionism that is rising, especially in developed economies such as the U.S. and Europe. And China has been showing this steadiness that its economy is able to withstand those shocks, and by showing that it can withstand those shocks, it gives hope to other economies, especially from the Global South, that have always heavily dependent on Western economies," said Shikwati.
Shikwati added that China's openness to new markets offers opportunities for developing countries worldwide.
"China's opening up to the world, what it is doing is offering an alternative platform, not necessarily stopping people from the old platform, but simply creating what I'll call some kind of fresh air in the global market system, so that countries, especially from the Global South, can access its markets," he said.
Int'l experts hail China's economic resilience with high-quality development
