Weak Think Tanks Shackle Nation’s Governance Upgrade

The mission of most think tanks is to analyze and propose policies for all segments of society, and this requires the ability to investigate, criticize and envision policies freely, often with government or foundation funding. China has more than 400 think tanks, second after the United States with more than 1,800 think tanks, reports Wang Wenwen for Global Times. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has indicated a desire to boost its soft power, and one method is to add more think tanks. The country has committed adding up to 100 new groups by 2020. Yet a more fundamental problem for China is the lack of independence. In an opinion essay for Global Times, Wang Wenwen praises the contributions of US think tanks to monitoring US governance, and concludes: “Domestically, China has been pushing forward a raft of reforms and is in dire need of strategies and suggestions. Think tanks are expected to offer guidelines regarding concepts such as the rule of law and democracy, which are seen as a boost to China's national rejuvenation.” – YaleGlobal