China’s remarkable rise over the past decades has had its reflection on its placing in the IEPG. In 1990 it was 12th, but it has jumped to 4th place in 2012 (much in line with its GDP growth). It has climbed one position since last year’s edition and overtaken France.
China has increased its presence in all three dimensions covered by the IEPG. Nevertheless, the economic dimension has been the main reason for China’s growing presence on the global scenario. In 1990 it accounted for 33% of China’s total IEPG, rising to 63% in 2012 –largely due to the increase in the export of manufactured goods, in which it is the world leader, although primary goods and services have also recorded a significant rise–. China ranked 16th in Economic presence in 1990 and by 2012 it had risen to 3rd, with a similar value to Germany’s Economic presence.
China is not a military power despite its size and population, but its military presence has certainly increased despite the fact that its relative contribution to China’s global presence has decreased. In 1990, 20% of China’s IEPG was attributable to the military dimension and in 2012 the figure was only 2.5%. It should be borne in mind that the economic dimension has undergone a remarkable increase.
Something similar, although to a far lesser scale, can be said about China’s soft presence, which accounted for 46% in 1990 and 34% in 2012. Compared with the rest of the world, China has a low presence in this dimension, except for sports and tourism. In any case, in the past few years China has substantially enhanced its presence in information, science and technology, thus steadily consolidating its global position.
