The U.S., China, and Germany remain the world’s most valuable country brands, according to data from Brand Finance’s annual study.
The company valued the U.S. brand at nearly $34.72 trillion, down 7% from last year’s level. The assessment covers a wide range of indicators, including GDP, investment and tourism appeal, policy and trade regulations, social aspects, and more.
At the same time, the value of the PRC’s brand increased by 7% (to $22.02 trillion), narrowing the gap with the top spot.
Germany ranks third, far behind (-8%, to $4.61 trillion), and the United Kingdom ranks fourth (-5%, to $4.23 trillion).
France moved up to fifth place (-7%, to $3.63 trillion), pushing Japan (-14%, to $3.62 trillion) down to sixth place. Canada (-12%, to $2.41 trillion) moved up to seventh place from eighth last year, Italy (-4%, to $2.3 trillion) to eighth from ninth, and Spain (-4%, to $2.12 trillion) to ninth from tenth.
India fell to tenth place from seventh (-30%, to $1.94 trillion).
The total value of G7 countries’ brands fell by $4.5 trillion over the year due to geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and economic uncertainty.
“The weakening of the Western alliance’s cohesion, combined with persistent inflationary pressures and high energy prices, contributed to a deterioration in sentiment toward a number of major economic powers,” the report notes.
According to a Brand Finance study, Russia, whose brand value fell by 11%, dropped to 25th place from 23rd last year; Kazakhstan (-26%) fell to 45th from 43rd; Uzbekistan dropped to 53rd from 55th; Azerbaijan fell to 74th from 82nd; Belarus – to 86th from 88th place, Turkmenistan – to 87th from 80th place, Georgia – to 91st from 97th place, Armenia – to 105th from 103rd place, and Kyrgyzstan – to 120th from 127th place. Tajikistan remained in 136th place.
Among the top 100 countries, Egypt fell significantly in the ranking—to 51st place from 35th a year earlier; Iran—to 63rd from 50th; Kenya—to 90th from 70th; and Angola—to 94th from 76th. Meanwhile, Costa Rica jumped to 70th place from 81st, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 72nd from 87th, and Iceland to 80th from 90th.
In total, the ranking includes 192 countries. The total brand value of these countries decreased by 6% over the past year.
According to Serbian Economist, Serbia and a number of leading Chinese companies have signed new investment agreements that are expected to bring the country over €940 million in investments and 1,650 new jobs, Chinese media reported.
The documents were signed in the Chinese city of Jiaxing in the presence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The agreements cover auto parts, high-tech manufacturing, components for electric vehicles, tires, lighting systems, and precision plastic parts.
The largest block of agreements involves the Mint Group. The company, a global player in the production of exterior automotive parts, structural components, and aluminum battery cases for electric vehicles, is implementing two projects in Serbia. The first involves an investment of €135 million and the creation of 600 jobs in Loznica, while the second involves an investment of €91 million and 220 jobs in Šabac.
An agreement has been signed with the Chinese company SHAK for a €33.5 million project in Novi Sad, which is expected to create 50 new jobs. The company specializes in the production of high-quality automotive chassis and structural components.
An investment agreement will also be signed with BMTS Technology, a manufacturer of turbochargers and electrical auxiliary systems for passenger and commercial vehicles. The project focuses on automation and is estimated to cost €13.3 million.
Another project involves Xingyu Automotive, one of China’s leading manufacturers of automotive lighting systems, including LED headlights, taillights, and lighting modules. The company plans to invest €77 million in Niš and create 100 jobs.
Separately, a new €566 million investment by Linglong Tire in Zrenjanin was announced, which is expected to create 400 new jobs. Linglong has been operating in Serbia since 2019; it is China’s largest tire manufacturer and ranks among the world’s top ten manufacturers of passenger, truck, and specialty tires.
A planned investment by Yusei in Niš was also announced, amounting to €27 million and creating 280 jobs. Yusei is a Chinese manufacturer of high-precision plastic automotive parts, injection molds, and chrome-plated components.
A memorandum of understanding was also signed at the ceremony between Mint Holding Group and China Construction Fourth Engineering Division Corp. Ltd. Southeast Branch. The document is intended to support the implementation of Mint’s investments in Serbia.
For Serbia, these agreements are important not only for creating new jobs but also for deepening China’s presence in the country’s automotive and technology industries. The new projects involve electric vehicles, battery casings, lighting, tires, turbo systems, and plastic components—that is, the segments where Serbia is seeking to integrate into European and global automotive supply chains.
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Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China’s economy fell by 10.3% year-over-year in January–April, to 287.69 billion yuan ($42 billion), according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The manufacturing sector attracted 78.9 billion yuan, while the services sector attracted 204.2 billion yuan. Notably, investment in high-tech industries rose by 20.3% to reach 166.3 billion yuan.
Luxembourg more than doubled its FDI (by 110.3%), Switzerland increased it by 60.8%, France by 58.3%, and the U.S. by 24.5%, according to data from the ministry cited by Xinhua News Agency.
In January–April, 20,113 new enterprises with foreign capital were registered in China, which was 6.8% higher than the figure for the same period in 2025.
As reported, FDI for 2025 fell by 9.5% to 747.7 billion yuan.
In April, China increased oil production by 1.2% compared to the same month last year, reaching 17.94 million tons, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. From January to April, production rose by 0.5% to 72.74 million tons.
Oil refining volumes fell by 5.8% last month to 54.65 million tons, the lowest level since August 2022. From January to April, the figure decreased by 0.5% to 238.95 million tons.
Natural gas production in April rose by 3% to 23.4 billion cubic meters; since the start of the year, production has increased by 2.7% to 90 billion cubic meters.
According to Serbian Economist, the Chinese industrial group TBEA is considering Serbia as a potential location for establishing transformer production facilities geared toward exporting to the European market. Negotiations between Serbian authorities and the company’s management in Tianjin have moved beyond preliminary discussions and shifted to more concrete talks regarding an industrial project.
The possibility of opening a manufacturing facility in Serbia is being discussed, one that will focus not only on equipment assembly but also on deeper localization—including technology transfer, the development of a local supply chain, and workforce integration.
TBEA’s interest in Serbia is driven by several factors. First, the country offers proximity to EU markets without the full cost burden characteristic of the European Union itself. Second, growing logistics links and a free trade agreement with China make Serbia a convenient platform for both the supply of components and the export of finished products.
The overall situation in Europe adds particular significance to the project. Demand for transformers and grid equipment is growing amid the integration of renewable energy, electrification, and the modernization of transmission networks, while a shortage of production capacity is already becoming one of the constraints on infrastructure programs. Against this backdrop, the potential establishment of a new plant in Serbia could partially relieve pressure on European supply chains.
For Serbia, such a project would mean not just an influx of investment, but deeper integration into the European energy industry.
TBEA is one of China’s largest industrial groups in the field of high-voltage equipment, transformers, and energy infrastructure. The company operates in the power transmission and distribution, power machinery, solar energy, and industrial equipment segments and is one of the key providers of solutions for large-scale grid and energy projects in China and beyond.
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Chinese authorities plan to restrict the ability of the country’s technology companies—including its most prominent AI startups—to raise U.S. capital without government approval, according to Bloomberg.
Chinese agencies, including the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), have in recent weeks advised a number of private companies to reject U.S.-sourced capital in investment rounds unless they have direct permission from the authorities, the agency’s sources note.
According to them, such instructions were received, in particular, by Moonshot AI—the developer of the Kimi chatbot, which is preparing for an IPO—as well as the AI startup StepFun.
Regulators have also decided to impose similar restrictions on ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok and the country’s most valuable startup. Authorities do not want the company, which also operates one of the country’s most popular chatbots, to allow U.S. investors to participate in secondary share offerings without government approval, sources say.
The main goal of these restrictions is to prevent U.S. investors from acquiring stakes in companies in sensitive sectors where national security is a priority, they note.
The new measures stem from Meta Platforms Inc.’s $2 billion acquisition of the Chinese AI startup Manus, announced last December. Chinese authorities launched an investigation, believing the deal could violate technology export control rules and national security requirements.
Initially, the deal was viewed as a benchmark for startups with global ambitions, but concerns subsequently arose regarding the transfer of valuable AI technologies to a geopolitical rival.
