China still lags behind U.S. in influence

Despite China's remarkable economic rise, and its efforts to spread its influence in Asia through what is known as "soft power," the country still lags far behind the United States in that sphere, according to a survey to be released Tuesday.

The survey suggests that China has a long way to go before it is perceived as a multi-faceted power and that the country has not yet found a way to translate economic gains into soft power — or the ability to influence people and nations through nonmilitary means, like culture, diplomacy, politics and education.

The study, conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the East Asia Institute in South Korea, is the latest effort to assess China's rise at a time when American influence is widely believed to be in decline, partly because of the war in Iraq.