Sino- Indian think tank ties
According to Indian media reports, after canceling funding support for the Delhi- based Institute of Chinese Studies ( ICS) think tank, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has reportedly informed another think tank on China that it will be discontinuing support. Some local scholars believe that such a move “will hurt foreign policy analysis and debates about China in India.”
Meanwhile, China has been undergoing a booming development of think tanks in recent years. For instance, China has designated several top national think tanks from universities, government sectors and private companies based on their sustained performance. The threshold for these national think tanks is high, and they provide quality consulting services for China’s overall strategy and specific policy design. These think tanks work to solve the imbalance between what research institutions
supply and what policy advice demands, as some research programs are too academic and theoretical to be of specific and practical help for public policy design. China’s national think tank system is exploring effective operation mechanisms. At present, policy advice is coordinated and integrated from various authorities, before specific programs for various think tanks are established to work on the problems. The practice has proved highly efficient and effective in connecting the supply and the demand. China has established a strict performance evaluation system for these think tank research programs. Judged by their results, think tanks will get certain incentives if they do a good job. It is normal for the country to put forward high requirements on research quality, encouraging the rapid development of good think tanks. According to Indian media, ICS research fellows declined to comment on whether the funding cut had something to do with their opposing stance to the government on the One Belt and One Road initiative and border- related issues. In fact, a major function of think tank is to give realistic advice, especially for the national interest and people’s livelihood. Indian think tanks may consider strengthening cooperation with Chinese think tanks to promote more communication. Chinese think tanks have begun strengthening research cooperation with overseas peers recently, and are trying to eliminate the misunderstanding that non- Western scholars’ lack “independent thinking” and “critical thinking.” Our stance is firm and confident, and we welcome the collision of views with overseas scholars. With the exchange of views, advice will improve.
For Western countries and other emerging countries, the study of China requires visiting the country and increased dialogue with local think tanks. It is difficult to study China without first- hand knowledge.
Many Chinese think tanks, especially in universities, have already built up platforms for international communication, such as the overseas center for China studies abroad, and accepted visiting scholars from abroad. These centers have become important diplomatic platforms to discuss issues such as the development of China and global governance.
At present, China is encouraging system innovation in think tank building. Against such a backdrop, there is great room and potential for a closer Sino- Indian think tank cooperation. India has a considerable number of think tanks, but only a few are ranked in the world’s top level. Through cooperation we hope to develop more in- depth, insightful and high- quality research and policy advice projects.