China Policy Journal Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2019 | Page 5

China Policy Journal
achievement over the last four decades
can be traced to the successes of a series
of key policy decisions made by various
levels of government, the Chinese policy
making process has still largely been
regarded as a “black box” for outsiders.
Therefore, there is so far still limited
understanding on the extent to which
practices and principles of think tank
participation have contributed to the
Chinese policy making.
The Chinese party and state
leaders have consistently stressed the
important role of think tanks in major
policy decisions, advocating “Decision
making scientification and democratization”
through the establishment of a
whole set of strict systems and procedures.
For example, then President Hu
Jintao proposed important guidelines
in the Report for the 17th National
Congress to improve decision-making
information and intellectual support
system, to enhance transparency and
public participation in decision-making
and to expand the role of think
tanks in the decision-making process.
Moreover, current President Xi Jinping
actively promoted the establishment of
'New-Type Think Tanks with Chinese
Characteristics' (NTTTCC) and the
improvement of policy consultation
mechanisms in 2013 5 . The Chinese central
authority selected twenty-five “pilot
high-end think tanks” endowed with
substantial top-up government funding
to support their research in 2015 6 . The
term “NTTTCC” has two elements. The
first one is “new-type,” which means
the Chinese leadership is eager to build
think tanks that are different from existing
and ministry-affiliated ones in
China. The other is “with Chinese
Characteristics,” indicating that the developmental
patterns of Chinese think
tanks should not simply copy those of
Western counterparts but should play
roles in “telling Chinese stories and
spreading Chinese voices” through
public diplomacy.
These think tank policies of
NTTTCC were very much welcomed
by academics and practitioners and
have considerably inspired think-tank
experts' passion in participating in the
institutional reform. Many have called
the NTTTCC campaign as “the new
spring of development of Chinese think
tanks”. 7 Many new think tanks mushroomed
and think tanks have been
roles,” Journal of Contemporary China 24, no. 93 (2015): 531–553; Zhu Xufeng, The Rise of Think
Tanks in China (London: Routledge, 2013); Silvia Menegazzi, Rethinking Think Tanks in Contemporary
China. (Springer Nature, 2017); Lan Xue, Xufeng Zhu, and Wanqu Han, “Embracing Scientific
Decision Making: The Rise of Think-Tank Policies in China,” Pacific Affairs 91 (1) (2018): 49–71.
5 Xinhuanet, “Zhongguo gongchandang dishibajie zhongyang weiyuanhui disanci quanti huiyi gongbao”
[Communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee], (2013),
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-11/12/ c_118113455. htm, accessed 1 August 2016.
6 www.gov.cn, 2015, “Liu Yunshan zai guojia gaoduan zhiku jianshe shidian gongzuo huiyi shang
qiangdiao jiji tuijin zhongguo tese xinxing zhili jianshe” [Liu Yunshan emphasizes to promote the
construction of NTTTCC at the working conference of National Top Think Tank Pilot Program],
http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2015-12/02/content_5019044.htm, accessed 1 August 2016.
7 “Tansuo jianshe zhongguo tese xinxing zhiku” [Exploration of new-type think tank with Chinese
characteristics], Guangming Daily, 25 December 2014; “Yi gaige chaungxin tuijin gaozhiliang
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