(CNN) The United States is still the most powerful nation in the Asia region in spite of a rising challenge from China, a new ranking by an Australian think tank has found. The eight main rankings by which each country is measured are defense networks, military capability, cultural influence, diplomatic influence, economic resources, economic relationships, resilience and future trends. As of 2011, the Chinese economy is second only to the United States in terms of GDP size. While the United States has close military relationships with Australia, Japan and South Korea, among others, China's only longstanding treaty ally is North Korea. However, just because the United States has an advantage, Beijing has been working hard to make up ground across the Asia region.

Source: CNN May 08, 2018 04:29 UTC