How can China foster its think tanks?
- By Han Fangming
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 24, 2015
The ranking may not be without its flaws, since the criteria for defining an organization as a think tank for the list should be more strictly scrutinized.
In my previous article, "Chinese think tanks should avoid any great leap forward," I point out that think tanks should serve the public interest and not operate for profit. They should also be comparatively independent and innovative.
Therefore, institutes affiliated with consultancies, assessment firms, government research offices and academic research centers at universities should all be excluded from the category of think tanks.
A real think tank belongs to society at large, an idea that is at least shared in the western hemisphere.
Despite the growing number of China's think tanks, the quality and influence of those institutes still lag far behind. According to McGann's ranking list, the most influential think tank in China only took 27th place among top think tanks worldwide. Therefore, we need to pay attention to three aspects that affect the rise of Chinese think tanks, through which China's soft power as a major country in terms of its population and comprehensive strength can be accordingly manifested.
First, government entities, the most important clients for public policy research, should increase their consultation with think tanks. The government work report presented recently by Premier Li Keqiang echoed this point with the provision that fundamental public services should be purchased and that any management services for specific issues that can be provided by third parties should be acquired through market mechanisms.
Second, the government and society should create an environment conducive to the development of think tanks. It is not sufficient to streamline registration processes and cancel the requirement for think tanks to be affiliated with government authorities. Donations from enterprises or individuals to non-governmental think tanks should also be encouraged. Let's hope that many wealthy entrepreneurs become aware of the importance of think tanks and spend part of their colossal incomes on intellectual products aimed at the public interest instead of spending all their wealth on extravagance.
Third, non-governmental think tanks should generate more innovative ideas to enhance their own development, since these new ideas will definitely play significant roles in China's rejuvenation.
The writer is deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of the Charhar Institute.
The article was translated by Wu Jin. Its unabridged version was published in Chinese.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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