“Overall poorer than expected perceptions of China’s soft power indicate China has a long way to go to claim full recognition as a multifaceted power,” it said.

As Beijing prepared to host the 2008 Olympics and the government planned to showcase its many economic advances to the world, China still ranked below the United States as a multifaceted power in the opinion of its Asian neighbours, the study by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the East Asia Institute of South Korea says.

The study, based on public opinion surveys in five East and Southeast Asian countries and the United States, show that perceptions of China’s “soft power” -- the ability to wield influence by indirect and non-military means -- generally trail those of America and Japan.

“These perceptions persist despite China’s strong economic relationships in Asia and around the world, and concerted efforts by Beijing to leverage the Olympic Games to bolster its image,” it says.

At the same time, the study points out that a sizable majority of people who participated in the poll in China, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and the United States agreed that hosting the Olympic Games in August will ultimately increase China’s prestige.