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AprilDuring the critical transitional period for basically realizing socialist modernization, the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan once again explicitly calls for “strengthening the development of a new type of think tanks with Chinese characteristics”. This consistent policy arrangement reflects a renewed emphasis on this long-term strategic task. Several scholars focusing on think tank development noted in recent interviews that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, “strengthening the development of a new type of think tanks with Chinese characteristics” has been endowed with new connotations aligned with the requirements of the new stage. They emphasized that, on the basis of consolidating existing achievements, think tanks should further clarify their direction, deepen reforms, and better demonstrate their value, responding to the needs of the times with high-quality practical outcomes.
Strengthening the Foundations for Development
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the development of think tanks in the social sciences achieved a comprehensive leap, from top-level design to grassroots implementation, and from offering individual policy suggestions to providing systematic support. This progress has laid a solid foundation for high-quality development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, while also giving think tank development a clearer direction, a more refined system, and greater effectiveness.
Top-level design brings increasingly clearer direction. In April 2022, the Plan for the Development of Philosophy and Social Sciences during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period explicitly called for strengthening the development of a new type of think tanks with Chinese characteristics, with a focus on building a number of think tanks with significant influence on policymaking, society, and the international arena. With this as a guiding framework, think tank development has been more deeply integrated into the overall national development agenda. According to WANG Xun, Director of the Think Tank Center at the National School of Development, Peking University, a series of top-down, systematically organized policies have strengthened the alignment between research institutions and decision-making bodies. Measures such as improving evaluation systems, refining policy advisory submission channels, and increasing long-term investment in talent cultivation and platform building have provided strong support for high-level research in the social sciences, and have laid the institutional groundwork for further improving think tank development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Grassroots implementation endows a more complete system. “In recent years, ministries and commissions under the central government, as well as provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), have successively issued policy documents to promote the development of sectoral and local think tanks”, noted LIU Xizhong, Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Philosophy and Social Sciences. At present, a new type of think tank system has begun to take shape, led by national high-end think tanks, supported by sectoral and local think tanks, and characterized by coordinated advancement and development across different categories. LI Gang, Director of the China Think Tank Research and Evaluation Center at Nanjing University, observed that institutions such as academies of social sciences and universities have widely defined think tank development as a core responsibility. It has become an important driver for advancing social sciences, while the think tank community itself continues to mature. This has provided a solid platform for higher-quality policy discussions and more efficient collaboration during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Enhanced effectiveness has a stronger sense of mission. In the implementation of major national strategies, the roles of philosophy and social science think tanks as “idea banks” and “advisory bodies” have become increasingly prominent. ZHU Xufeng, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, noted that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, think tanks produced a large number of high-quality policy research reports on key issues such as fostering a “dual circulation” development paradigm, steadily advancing common prosperity, and coordinating development with security. These contributions have provided solid theoretical support and policy options. LIU Qing, Executive Dean of the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, believes that think tanks have developed a clearer self-positioning in serving national strategies. Their precision, integrative capacity, and responsiveness have all been strengthened, jointly forging the core capabilities that enable think tanks to keep pace with the times and stay at the forefront in the new era. These capabilities will also serve as the fundamental strength for think tanks as they respond to more complex challenges and contribute to higher-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Exploring Practical Pathways
The most profound transformation in think tank development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period lies in the innovation of research paradigms. New approaches characterized by organized research, data-driven methods, and interdisciplinary integration have not only reshaped the form of policy research, but have also become the core practical pathway for think tanks to implement new requirements and achieve new development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period. These approaches provide methodological support for think tanks to integrate into systemic restructuring and foster new quality productive forces.
From “working alone” to “organized research”: strengthening the foundation for collaborative innovation. LIAO Fan, Party Secretary and Director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, attributes the core driving force to “conducting in-depth organized research under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and with serving major national priorities as the value orientation, empowered by both top-level design and institutional innovation”. This “organized” approach is reflected in the formation of interdisciplinary teams, the conduct of long-term tracking studies, and coordinated efforts to tackle major issues. It also provides valuable experience for think tanks in the 15th Five-Year Plan period to carry out systematic research and deliver comprehensive solutions.
Strengthening both internal capacity and external support: consolidating the foundation for high-quality development. LIU Qing summarizes the gains of think tank development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period in three aspects: guiding principles, demand-driven orientation, and supply-side support. “A series of important statements by General Secretary Xi Jinping on building a new type of think tanks with Chinese characteristics have provided fundamental guidance, fully stimulating researchers’ enthusiasm and sense of responsibility”, Liu noted. During this period, social science think tanks actively explored talent pipeline development and internal management optimization, enhancing the “combat effectiveness” of both management and research teams. Meanwhile, the continuous improvement of the external policy environment and the steady strengthening of internal governance capacity together serve as dual safeguards for think tanks to address systemic challenges and achieve high-quality development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
From experience-based judgment to data empowerment: enhancing precision in service delivery. Several scholars emphasized in interviews that research methods based on big data and artificial intelligence are developing rapidly, making policy simulation and forecasting more scientific. “A pragmatic orientation has driven think tank research to take root in practice”, said LI Gang. Tens of thousands of researchers, through writing policy briefs and conducting field studies, have truly realized the goal of “writing papers on the land of China”, providing a vital source for building China’s independent knowledge system. Digital transformation has not only improved research efficiency, but also enhanced the precision with which think tanks address complex issues. This capability will further expand during the 15th Five-Year Plan period into areas such as the development of data as a factor of production, planning for future industries, and evaluation of policy effectiveness, becoming a core pillar supporting think tanks in fulfilling their role as a “strategic outpost”.
Providing Distinctive Support
In the face of the more complex challenges of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, marked by greater complexity, broader application scenarios, and wider stakeholder involvement, social science think tanks have demonstrated unique advantages over other types of think tanks. With their deep local grounding, strong academic foundations, and relatively neutral perspectives, they have become a distinctive source of intellectual support for implementing the Plan and advancing Chinese modernization.
Rooted in local context: cultural consciousness and potential for theoretical innovation. LIAO Fan summarizes the distinctive strengths of Chinese think tanks as institutional, theoretical, and cultural advantages. The strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and ongoing theoretical innovation provide fundamental guidance for think tank development, while the rich heritage of fine traditional Chinese culture offers powerful value orientation and cultural appeal. In WANG Xun’s view, the rich practice of Chinese modernization provides abundant nourishment for think tank development. Grounded in China’s own experience, think tanks are well positioned to summarize insights and build an independent knowledge system, giving them a natural advantage in indigenous theoretical innovation. This also constitutes the core strength for breaking through the constraints of Western theoretical frameworks and building a philosophy and social sciences system with Chinese characteristics during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. This advantage has already translated into tangible outcomes. For example, the World Openness Report, led by the National Institute for Global Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has been released for five consecutive years. Its core perspectives, based on the “World Openness Index”, have provided important references for national decision-making. As LIAO Fan noted, this “fully demonstrates the core value of think tanks in serving major national priorities through organized research and enhancing China’s international influence”, and offers valuable lessons for integrating theory and practice in the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Strong academic foundations and theoretical support as the cornerstone. ZHU Xufeng pointed out that the long-accumulated disciplinary systems and methodological tools enable social science think tanks to conduct in-depth analysis of the nature and underlying patterns of social issues. LIU Qing emphasized that think tanks affiliated with universities and academies of social sciences benefit from strong theoretical backing and long-standing immersion in research and talent cultivation, ensuring a continuous supply of intellectual and human resources. This advantage enables social science think tanks to provide deeper theoretical analysis and more feasible solutions in addressing systemic issues such as industrial restructuring, innovation system development, and coordinated regional development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
A neutral third-party perspective and strengths in international communication.
According to LI Gang, as academic research institutions, think tanks are often able to approach issues from a relatively neutral and objective third-party perspective, offering more balanced policy evaluations and recommendations. In international exchanges, scholars communicating through academic discourse and think tank platforms are often more readily accepted by the global community, facilitating flexible and effective “Track II diplomacy” and fostering mutual understanding and trust. Further leveraging this strength during the 15th Five-Year Plan period will help build China’s international discourse system and enhance its participation in global governance, serving as an important bridge connecting China with the rest of the world.
Shouldering Mission and Responsibility
While recognizing the achievements and strengths of think tank development, it is equally important to remain clear-eyed about the challenges facing high-quality development. ZHU Xufeng noted that some think tanks still suffer from issues such as unclear positioning, relatively narrow evaluation systems, insufficiently smooth mechanisms for international exchange, and underdeveloped talent cultivation, all of which constrain their sustainable development. In light of the new requirements of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, social science think tanks must place serving Chinese modernization at the core of their mission, focusing on areas such as strategic assessment, institutional innovation, and discourse construction. By making targeted and sustained efforts, they should translate their strengths into tangible development outcomes and demonstrate new responsibilities on the new journey.
Focusing on the frontier: strengthening strategic foresight. LIAO Fan emphasized that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, think tanks should continue to uphold the principle of “grounded in China, with a global vision; rooted in practice, serving decision-making”. They should concentrate on frontier areas such as major-power competition, technological revolution, governance of artificial intelligence, and the development of future industries, providing timely and robust intellectual support for China to seize strategic initiative amid global transformations and to address key challenges in domestic reform. WANG Xun suggested placing greater emphasis on fundamental, strategic, and forward-looking research, focusing on key issues of Chinese modernization such as expanding domestic demand and promoting high-quality development. He also highlighted the importance of conducting medium- and long-term policy evaluations to better bridge academic research and policymaking.
Innovating mechanisms: unleashing internal vitality. In the pursuit of high-quality development, institutional and mechanism innovation is key. LI Gang argued that to better implement the requirements of the 15th Five-Year Plan, think tanks should maintain long-term stability while striving for greater initiative and flexibility. They should continuously innovate research methods and strengthen their capacity for agenda-setting, using their sense of responsibility and agency to build social consensus. This calls for further improvements in systems aligned with the law of think tank development, including funding management, talent evaluation, and incentives for research outcomes. The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan also emphasizes accelerating the construction of an independent knowledge system in philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. In terms of international communication, enhancing the global discourse power of China’s philosophy and social sciences and building discourse systems and communication mechanisms commensurate with the country’s comprehensive national strength are of vital importance. Scholars noted that Chinese think tanks should distill universally meaningful concepts and insights from China’s practice to generate original intellectual contributions; develop multidimensional dissemination networks and distinctive think tank brands with diversified outputs tailored to different audiences; and cultivate interdisciplinary talent with global vision, professional expertise, and strong communication skills, while deepening international exchanges and cooperation on multiple fronts.
From the solid groundwork laid during the 14th Five-Year Plan period to the new journey of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the development of China’s philosophy and social science think tanks stands at a new historical starting point. This is a long-term undertaking that bears on the country’s future development. Only by staying committed to serving national development and improving people’s well-being, aligning with the new requirements of the 15th Five-Year Plan, continuously strengthening core strengths, and boldly overcoming practical constraints can think tanks remain at the forefront of the times. Social science think tanks must adopt a systemic approach to advance their own high-quality development, playing a greater role in supporting national decision-making, promoting economic and social development, and contributing to global governance reform, thereby making new and greater contributions to building China’s independent knowledge system and advancing Chinese modernization during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
(The above views are excerpted and translated from an article by LIU Qing, Executive Dean at the National Academy of Development and Strategy, Professor at the School of Economics, and Wu Yuzhang Chair Professor, published on Chinese Social Sciences Today titled “Providing Strong Think Tank Support for the 15th Five-Year Plan”)
Original article link:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/f5o1LgDtjhSKyodTGkg9AQ?scene=25#wechat_redirect
Translator: ZHANG Yuqing
Web Editor: ZHANG Jingjing, ZHANG Yuqing
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