China’s power in Asia falls as US regains authority

China's influence in Asia receded in the second year of the pandemic as the country turned more inward, while the US expanded its power in the region through better diplomacy, according to an Australian research group.

China's measure of power fell as the country wrestled with structural weaknesses in its demographics and financial system and become more isolationist, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in its Asia Power Index for 2021, which ranks 26 nations and territories. The index measures power using 131 indicators, including economic clout, defence capability, cultural and diplomatic influence, and projected future resources.

Comparatively, the US gained more influence in Asia this year due to President Joe Biden's administration brokering better diplomatic relationships and a speedy recovery from the pandemic with the help of vaccinations, said Herve Lemahieu, the study's research chief and director of Lowy's Asian Power and Diplomacy Program.

"There's been a bit of a flip in assessments of the US and China's future prospects across a range of measures-military, economic and demographic," Lemahieu said. "And that suggests that the US will remain or has the ability to remain competitive as equal to China or as the primary superpower for much longer than we anticipated."

The top 10 countries for overall power in the AsiaPacific region are the US, China, Japan, India, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. The ranking this year reflected the longer-term impact of Covid-19, with the overall power of most countries falling.