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
Two major Qatari energy facilities shut down operations after being damaged during Iran's strikes targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that the situation had been contained.
QatarEnergy announced on Monday that it had suspended liquefied natural gas (LNG) production following attacks on two of its energy facilities, and on Tuesday said it was suspending production of downstream natural gas products such as urea and methanol.
The shutdown sent gas prices skyrocketing on global energy markets, provoking fears of an energy crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking during his weekly press conference, Al-Ansari said that the decision to shut down the facilities was taken as a precaution, to ensure the safety of personnel and infrastructure after the strike damaged key production and processing sites.
"The damage was contained and now the operations to assess, technically, the safety of the facilities is underway. And from the defensive posture, as you have seen, we have been ready in monitoring and dealing with all of these attacks," he said.
Al-Ansari said that Qatar is committed to de-escalating the situation, and added that Qatar had not had any contact with Iran since Feb 28.
"Qatar's diplomatic stance has always been firm and clear: committed to peace, actively promoting de-escalation, advocating dialogue and consultation, and striving to resolve the conflict peacefully," he said.
Major Qatari energy facilities damaged in Iranian strikes: foreign ministry
