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Limited freedom a hurdle for research

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-02 07:47

A new think tank should be encouraged to conduct more independent research rather than to take up some "sublime" tasks, says an article in Oriental Morning Post. Excerpt:

Zheng Xinli, the deputy head of China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), said recently that the center would strengthen exchanges with top foreign think tanks, let China's voice be heard more clearly on the global stage, and boost its position in the international community. CCIEE will export ideas to other developing countries through consultancy. That will help promote the "China growth model" across the world and allow other countries to use it to their advantage.

This shows CCIEE's major task is to sell the "China model" to the world, attract potential clients from other developing countries to buy its ideas to "realize fast economic development".

For long China has depended heavily on government-funded organizations to conduct overseas exchanges and overlooked the knowledge and wisdom that come out of the grassroots. This tilt has restricted China's influence in the international community. Hence, the setting up of CCIEE, a center funded by private funds, is a good sign because it will make it more flexible to transmit China's experience.

But there are some defects in CCIEE's planning. On the one hand, CCIEE says it will not survive on government grants and instead try to maintain its independence by raising funds from society. On the other hand, it says it would help the government rid itself of the negative impacts created by such baseless hypotheses like "China threat" and "plunder of resources by China". The ambiguity in the way CCIEE is presenting itself could hamper its image.

The major task of a think tank is not assuming a "sublime" task, such as spreading "China's growth model" to the rest of the world, but conducting research and offering suggestions. It's a pity China's think tanks have not done a proper job till now.

Many think tanks have floundered in their research on the global financial crisis and China's economic development trends, and have been ridiculed by their overseas peers.

The poor performance of China's think tanks can be attributed to the influence of government officials and investors. CCIEE has already learned a lesson from it, and emphasized its independence. But we should not be too optimistic because its independence may be limited as CCIEE's tasks explained by Zheng reflect. And limited independence could affect the development and function of the center.

(China Daily 07/02/2009 page9)