The New Type of Think-Tanks With Chinese Characteristics

It refers to non-profit research and consulting organizations with strategic issues and public policies as its main research objects, and with serving the Party and government's scientific, democratic and legal decision-making as the purpose.

In January 2015, the “Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of New-Type Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics” jointly issued by the Central Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council specifically pointed out the need to clarify the characteristics of scientific research work of new-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics from a strategic perspective to promote scientific and democratic decision-making and improve the country’s soft power, strive to realize the transformation and development of think tanks, and provide theoretical support, spiritual motivation, and intellectual support for the coordinated promotion of the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout. The concept of modern think tanks originated from the West, but in the history of China, similar think tanks such as “hangers-on of an aristocrat”, “aides and staff”, and “brainpower” have also become common practice. The creation of new-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics can benefit from the Chinese nation’s 5,000-year-old cultural tradition, and shall adhere to making the past serve the present, getting rid of the stale and bringing forth the fresh, treat traditional think tank culture in a differentiated way, inherit with sublation, and innovate and develop in combination with new historical conditions, so as to continue to carry forward the long-standing wisdom of the Chinese nation, and reflect the Chinese characteristics, Chinese style and Chinese manner of think tanks. Intellectual resources are the most precious resources of a country and a nation.

Since the Reform and Opening-up, China’s ideological and theoretical circles have made important contributions to the development of ideas, achievements, talents, and the promotion of Reform and Opening-up and socialist modernization. At the same time, it also revealed that the construction of think-tanks cannot keep up with the development of the situation and does not meet the requirements of the decisive stage of building a well-off society in an all-round way. At present, the complexity and arduousness of solving the difficult problems of reform, development and stability and coping with global issues is unprecedented, and there is an urgent need to improve the socialist decision-making support system with Chinese characteristics and support scientific decision-making with scientific consultation. In order to comprehensively deepen reforms, improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities, promote the development of extensive and multi-layered institutionalization of consultative democracy, and establish a more mature and stereotyped institutional system, we shall give full play to the important role of think tanks in governance and administration of state affairs. To promote and establish a good image of socialist China, promote Chinese culture and contemporary Chinese values to the world, and make Chinese voice heard on the international stage, there is also an urgent need for new-type think-tanks with Chinese characteristics to play an important role in public diplomacy and cultural mutual learning, so as to continuously strengthen China’s international influence and international discourse power. For this reason, after the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee, based on the overall development of the Party and the country, solved the shortcomings in existing think tank construction, and proposed the important and urgent task of building new-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics.

New-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics generally meet the following basic standards: have substantive research institutions that comply with national laws and regulations, are relatively stable, and operate according to norms; have decision-making consulting research fields with distinctive characteristics and long-term focus, and their research results; have influential professional representatives and full-time researchers; have secure and sustainable funding sources; have multi-level academic exchange platforms and achievement transformation channels; have fully functional information collection and analysis systems; have sound governance structure and organization charter; and have good conditions for international cooperation and exchange, etc. The “Chinese characteristics” and “new type” of Chinese think tanks lies in taking serving the Party and government decision-making as the purpose, policy research and consulting as the main direction, improving organizational forms and management methods as the focus, and reform and innovation as the driving force, and they should be oriented towards modernization, the world and the future.