Tapping more on brain power

Chinese mainland's think tanks must overcome hurdles to fuel increasing role at home and abroad, Li Yang reports.

The more a government does, the more brains it needs - and vice versa. Although the Chinese mainland does not seem to have many think tanks under Western standards, the external intellectual support for key decision-makers has always played an important role in political and public life.

There are more than 2,500 think tanks on the Chinese mainland, among which 2,000 are affiliated with the government and universities, employing 35,000 full-time researchers and 270,000 working staff, according to a survey by the Guangzhou-based Nanfang Media Group.