ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has topped the overall score in the China Index 2022, a database that ranks how much influence Beijing has on countries around the world along a set of domains, from foreign and domestic policy to technology and the economy.

The China Index has been launched by the Doublethink Lab and China In The World network as the first cross-regional project to objectively measure and visualize the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s overseas influence through comparable data.

This year’s edition ranks China’s influence in 82 country profiles across nine Domains: Academia, Domestic Politics, Economy, Foreign Policy, Law Enforcement, Media, Military, Society, and Technology. Each Domain comprises 11 indicators devised by the China Index Committee, a group of renowned China experts, each of which corresponds to an observable phenomenon of PRC influence.

“As of November 2022, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Singapore are ranked as most exposed to PRC influence,” the Index said on its website. “Paraguay, North Macedonia, and Albania are ranked as least influenced.”

“Globally, PRC influence is assessed to be most prominent in the Domains of Technology, Foreign Policy, and Domestic Politics, and weakest in those of Military and Society.”

Pakistan ranked eighth in the economy category, second in military, and first in technology and foreign policy.

“Through the Index, we seek to establish an interactive world map that visualizes the PRC’s evolving influence in different countries,” the Index website said. “We expect the China Index to serve as a reference tool that enhances global understanding and awareness of PRC influence, particularly for academics, media, civil society networks, and policymakers.”

China and Pakistan are longtime diplomatic and strategic allies. Beijing has been involved in major mining, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including the deep-water Gwadar port, all part of the approximately $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.