China boasts the world’s largest diplomatic network, according to an Australian think tank report, just ahead of the U.S.

Japan, which operates one of the world’s largest diplomatic networks with 251 posts, came in fourth behind Turkey.

The Lowy Institute's Global Diplomacy Index, which tracks the presence of overseas diplomatic missions, found that China had a larger footprint last year than the U.S. in key areas of geopolitical interest including the Pacific, East Asia and Central Asia.

Beijing had a total of 274 diplomatic posts, while Washington had 271, per the report. China overtook the U.S. in 2019, the culmination of a prioritization of diplomatic outreach in recent years.

The South Pacific has seen the fastest expansion rate of new foreign diplomatic posts in general, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the U.S. opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga last year, and plans to open an embassy in Vanuatu in 2024, in an apparent bid to counter China’s deepening ties with Pacific island nations across the fields of business, politics and security.

Western allies are watching Chinese infrastructure projects warily due to their potential military uses, and analysts have expressed concern about the destabilizing effect the development of a Chinese military base in the Pacific could have.

China has added embassies in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, and last month Naru switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. China is now expected to open an embassy in the country, bringing its count among Pacific island nations to 10.

For its part, Taiwan operates 110 overseas posts worldwide, although most are not officially designated as diplomatic missions by the host country. The self-ruled island, which Beijing claims, only holds diplomatic ties with 12 countries — many of them small — with China seeking to chip away at these relationships.

Japan, meanwhile, has continued to invest in its diplomatic presence, detailing plans to bolster it by 20% by the end of the decade amid rising geopolitical tensions.

“Japan remains a leading global diplomatic power, with the strongest network of any Asian country apart from China,” according to the report. Japan has grown its diplomatic network by 11 posts since 2017.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen Moscow shutter 14 of its overseas posts since 2022, due to deteriorating ties or diplomatic expulsions. North Korea — which slimmed down its overseas presence last year, shuttering a series of embassies — moved down the rankings by six spots to 58.

India was in 11th place with 194 posts, and alongside Turkey it has the fastest growing network. Both countries have added 11 posts since 2021.

Elsewhere in Asia, Indonesia operates 130 overseas missions abroad, making it the Southeast Asian country with the most extensive global diplomatic network, followed by Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.