US losing ground to China

NEW YORK: China is closing in on the United States as the most powerful country influencing the AsiaPacific, as the US’ handling of the Covid19 pandemic tarnishes its reputation, a study shows.

The US’ 10point lead on China two years ago has been halved, according to the Sydneybased Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index for 2020, which ranks 26 nations and territories.

The US ‘‘lost prestige’’ due to its poor response to the pandemic, trade disputes and President Donald Trump’s moves to withdraw from multilateral deals and agencies, according to the study’s research chief, Herve Lemahieu.

Japan and India were third and fourth on the index, while Australia climbed one spot to sixth, overtaking South Korea.

The index measures power using 128 indicators including economic relations, defence spending, internal stability, information flows and projected future resources. — Bloomberg News