China climbs steadily on 'soft power' rankings

China showed a second-time steady rise on soft power, up to 25th from 28th in worldwide ranking.

The report illustrated that Trump's "America First" doctrine has performed poorly abroad and "power has become more diffused, moving from West to East" with an evident case of China, as it takes on larger global leadership role, and climbs steadily on soft power.

China's role on the world stage moves a step forward as it put a focus on its soft power development, with the opening of over 500 Confucius Institutes worldwide and extensive international branding campaigns, said the report.

Analysts also suggested that China's rising soft power is related to its cultural appeal, and the country now keeps pace with Italy which has the most number of UNESCO heritage sites.