'Soft power' prompts business relocations

Chengdu has been applauded as the Chinese city with the most "soft power" after beating a number of mainland cities - including Hangzhou, Dalian and Kunming - to secure the title.

In recent years "soft power" has become an increasingly important factor in the success or failure of a city or region, in terms of both satisfying the needs of its residents and in attracting external support from the commercial sector.

"Soft power" is now annually evaluated in China across 10 different criteria, including cultural appeal, innovative capacity, ability to support science and education, effectiveness of government administration, city cohesion, attractiveness to the business sector, social harmony, capability of image communication, level of coordination, and the effectiveness of information transmission.