SYDNEY — Việt Nam moved up one spot to rank 12th out of 26 countries and territories in the 2020 Asia Power Index conducted by the Lowy Institute, a think tank in Australia.

Việt Nam’s rank improved thanks to gains in diplomatic influence, in which it was placed 9th, up three places against last year, “with its reputation strengthened by the competent handling of the coronavirus pandemic,” the report reads.

The institute noted that Việt Nam had effectively taken part in regional forums and trade initiatives, promoting talks over the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as Chair of ASEAN this year, and the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with 10 other signatories.

The country also saw improvements in its score for economic capability and jumped three places in defence networks measures.

Overall, Việt Nam – along with Australia and China’s Taiwan – recorded the biggest gains this year.

“Việt Nam exerts more influence in the region than expected given its available resources, as indicated by the country’s positive power gap score,” the report reads.

Việt Nam’s rank in 2019 was also up one place from the previous year, attributed to achievements in economic capability and future resources.

The top five remains unchanged from last year, with the US first, followed by China, Japan, India, and Russia.

The annual Asia Power Index, launched in 2018, measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states and territories in Asia-Pacific across measures for military capability and defence networks, economic capability and relationships, diplomatic and cultural influence, as well as resilience and future resources. — VNS