Lowy Institute: VN continues to see uptick in power index

VGP – Viet Nam’s overall power ranking in 2020 continued to see uptick in the second consecutive year, picking one notch in Asia-Pacific on power index, according to Australia-based think tank Lowy Institute.

October 19, 2020 3:36 PM GMT+7

In 2020, Viet Nam ranks 13th out of 26 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region, surpassing New Zealand.

Experts attributed Viet Nam’s higher ranking to the country’s diplomatic influence which raised three steps to the ninth position.

According to Lowy Institute, Viet Nam effectively engaged in regional forums and trade initiatives; accelerated negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as the Chair of ASEAN in 2020; and promoted the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with ten other countries.

In addition, in 2020, Viet Nam improved performance in economic competence and jumped three notches in defense networks.

The country has seen power in Asia rise partly due to proper handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Index ranked 26 nations' power in the region according to a range of measures — from military capability and defense networks to diplomatic and cultural influence.

The 2020 edition of the index has been expanded to 126 indicators across eight thematic measures of power. This year, Lowy added three new criteria including COVID-19 response, ecological threats, and defense dialogues./.

By Kim Loan