As Beijing promotes its brain
power on the global stage, it must reassess how much it should control
institutions that are supposed to come to their own conclusions
By Wang Xiangwei
The term “think tank” may be new in China, but
since ancient times the country’s rulers and aristocracy have had a tradition
of valuing counsel from scholars and people with diverse backgrounds.
One such ruler was Lord Mengchang during the
Warring States period more than 2,000 years ago. He supported up to 3,000
people as retainers in his home. He was known to take copious notes during many
discussions while wining and dining his entourage and his family almost every
night.
Now the Chinese leadership wants to emulate
Mengchang by grooming think tanks with global influence to match its expanding
economic clout in the international arena.
But while making great progress, China faces
some internal challenges when it comes to fitting modern ideas about think
tanks into its political culture, especially when the institutions express
thoughts that are in conflict with the government.
On January 25, a media report showed China’s
435 think tanks put it second in the world, behind only the United States with
1,835. And nine Chinese think tanks were included among the world’s best in the
2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, published by the think tank and civil
societies programme at the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute.
But just five days before the media report,
China’s cyber-regulators shut down the social media accounts and website of the
Unirule Institute of Economics, a liberal and non-governmental think tank
founded by Mao Yushi, an outspoken economist.
The closure came two days after Mao lashed out
at the country’s top judge, Supreme People’s Court chief justice Zhou Qiang,
for rejecting the concept of judicial independence. Ironically, Mao’s institute
is one of the nine Chinese think tanks that was reported to be among the best
in the world.
On Monday, in a high-level meeting to discuss
reform matters chaired by President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Central Leading Group for Deepening
Overall Reform approved a document to promote the development of
non-governmental think tanks, according to Xinhua.
Chinese leftists dumbfounded by lack of
official support after Mao Yushi speech
While the details of the document have yet to
be released, the report said that Communist Party theories would be used to
guide the development of non-governmental think tanks, they would be asked to
put social responsibility first and they should study major projects of the
party and the state. It said think tanks that followed these guidelines would
be given more channels to participate in policymaking and their talent
management would be further improved.
Xi reportedly took a personal interest in
pushing the development of think tanks soon after he came to power in late
2012.
A central government document in 2014 called
for the establishment of highly professional and internationally influential
think tanks by 2020 to focus on strategic issues and public policies to help
improve China’s governance and boost its soft power.
The dominance of the government-controlled
think tanks has severely restricted the rise of truly non-governmental outlets
like the Unirule Institute of Economics, which not only faces funding and
regulatory constraints but also risks retribution by publishing politically
incorrect reports.
At a time when China is taking up the reins as
the champion for globalism, a golden opportunity has emerged for its think
tanks to make a mark on the international stage. But for them to succeed,
critical thinking and academic freedom are essential so that researchers can
produce high-quality reports to gain international credibility and appeal.
Wang Xiangwei is the former editor-in-chief of
the South China Morning Post. He is now based in Beijing as editorial adviser
to the paper
