Source: Forbes Magazine

Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi and Philippine president Gloria Arroyo are among the highest-ranked among nine Asian women on the annual Forbes' list of world's most powerful women.

Wu Yi is runner-up for the second year in a row, the highest-ranked among nine Asians on the annual list.

The chief executive and executive director of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, Ho Ching, is in 30th position.

Former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri, No. 8 on the list last year, not only lost her top 10 position but fell out of the rankings altogether following her failed re-election bid.

A similar fate befell India's ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, who was deemed the third most powerful woman last year but could not make it to the top 100 a year later.

There was better news, for now at least, for beleaguered Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, who jumped five places to take the No. 4 ranking this year, behind newcomer Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian Prime Minister who made her debut in third position.

Condoleezza Rice, who topped the list last year as US national security adviser took the top spot again for "reinvigorating the role of US Secretary of State with a form of diplomatic activism that we haven't seen in a while," according to Forbes.

The highest-ranking businesswoman on the list was Margaret Whitman, the chief executive of the wildly successful Internet auction site eBay, who was in fifth position, ahead of Xerox chief executive Anne Mulcahy.

US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, who last month topped the Forbes list of most powerful celebrities, broke into the all-women top 10 at No. 9--a huge leap from her 62nd ranking last year.

Rounding out the top 10 was Melinda Gates, wife of billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Forbes rankings are based on a composite of visibility--measured by press citations--and economic impact.

The latter reflects three things: status (a prime minister is more powerful than a senator); the size of the economic sphere over which the person holds sway; and a multiplier that aims to make different economic yardsticks comparable.

A politician, for example, is assigned a gross national product number but a low multiplier, while an executive is assigned a company's assets but gets a high multiplier.

Forbes said that when it compiled the list it "wanted to find women who had both global economic impact and cultural impact."

Nine Asians made it to the top 100 list of the most powerful women in the world compiled by Forbes. Here is a look at some of them:

Having risen up the ranks of China's Communist Party leadership since 1962, Wu Yi, 66, became a member of the Central Committee in 2002. She took on the post of Minister of Health as well in 2003. She has been busy this year as she helps China battle disgruntled textile manufacturers, due to the lifting of World Trade Organisation quotas.

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Gloria Arroyo, President of the Philippines--No. 4

The 58-year-old one-time economics professor, who assumed office in 2001 and was re-elected last year, is now fighting to hold on to her job as the opposition party seeks to file impeachment charges against her over a series of scandals. Her attempts to fix Manila's weak finances are falling apart, causing frustrated technocrats to bolt from her government.

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Xie Qihua - China's Iron Lady

China's Iron Lady is one of China's handful of female executives and is also a dominant force in an industry ruled by men. Her influence is increasing in lockstep with China's insatiable need for iron and steel. After graduating from college in 1966, Ms Xie, 62, started working as a technician at a steel plant in north-west China's Shaanxi province. In 1978, she joined Baosteel as an engineer. She was named president in 1994 and chairman in 2003. As chairman, she oversees 100,000 workers who roll out 21 million tonnes of steel each year at the world's sixth-largest steel company in terms of capacity. Profits are on the order of C$26.6 billion.

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Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar opposition leader--No. 15

Still under house arrest since her party won democratic elections in 1990, 60-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi continues to attract world attention. Because of her plight, her country has seen a dramatic drop-off in international investment and tourism, which world leaders hope will pressure its ruling junta into installing a democracy. The leader of Myanmar's pro-democracy National League for Democracy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

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Chandrika Kumaratunga, President of Sri Lanka

Making it through a tough journey, she gained this position after her parents occupied the same post.