Work most vital for think tanks

The most important thing for a new think tank is improving its research capacity rather than hyping itself up by resorting to some stylish names like "super", says the Chongqing Times. Excerpt:

The office of a new think tank, China Center for International Economic Exchanges, which opens later this month, will be just about 100 meters away from the central government compound of Zhongnanhai.

It's surprising that some experts are already referring to the center as a "super think tank" because it is yet to achieve anything.

The proper description of the center should be "high-level think tank" because all its members are heavyweights in their fields such as politics, business and academics.

In fact, to judge whether a think tank is powerful, we don't have to look at its administrative levels or the positions its members hold. High-level administrative positions do not necessarily lead to productive research. Nor should the center's yet-to-be-opened office's proximity to Zhongnanhai be a reason to call it "super". The key point is whether the think tank can offer premium advice and suggestions to policymakers.

The center says it would raise funds from society to maintain its independence. But people are worried that if some interest groups agree to invest in this center, they could influence its research.

China has a number of old-style think tanks. To face the challenges and seize the opportunities offered by globalization, China has to either make the old think tanks innovative or set up new ones. The birth of China Center for International Economic Exchanges shows that China is now thinking of playing a bigger role on the global center stage and move into the core of the Asian major political spectrum.

(China Daily 07/02/2009 page9)