FORBES magazine Wednesday released its annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the list for the seventh time in eight years, outranking President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, who came in second. Third and fourth were Melinda Gates and Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton was in fifth.

    The magazine selected the 100 most influential women from seven categories or power bases: billionaires, business, lifestyle (including entertainment and fashion), media, nonprofits/NGOs, politics and technology.

    Peng Liyuan, China’s first lady, became one of the new faces of the list, ranking 54th, along with eight other Chinese women. She accompanied President Xi Jinping on his maiden trip as head of state through Africa in March. She was showered with praise as an unprecedentedly confident Chinese first lady. The 50-year-old major general in the People’s Liberation Army previously gained prominence as a singer of patriotic songs and as an AIDS activist.

    Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, the first female director-general of the World Health Organization and Hong Kong’s former health director, tops the list among Chinese women. She advanced to No. 33, from 37 last year.

    Peng ranks lower than two Chinese business magnates: six spots behind Chongqing-born real estate tycoon Wu Yajun, who last year was named China’s richest woman and eighth-richest person; and four places behind Zhang Xin, chief executive of Soho China, a high-profile real estate developer in Beijing.

    Sun Yafang, chairwoman at Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies, a maker of telecommunications equipment, ranked No. 77. Last year she was at 91.

    Jennifer Li, chief financial officer of the search engine Baidu, and Lan Yang, co-owner of the Sun Media Group, also made it to the list.

    (SD-Agencies)

    Top 10 women

    1. Angela Merkel, German chancellor

    2. Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian president

    3. Melinda Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    4. Michelle Obama, U.S. first lady

    5. Hillary Clinton, former U.S. secretary of state

    6. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

    7. Christine Lagarde, managing

    director, IMF

    8. Janet Napolitano, U.S. Homeland Security secretary

    9. Sonia Gandhi, president, Indian National Congress Party

    10. Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsiCo

    File photos