New Chinese Institute to Tackle Thorny Island Dispute
Think tank could provide platform for Chinese scholars to influence U.S. debate surrounding maritime disputes
China’s president last year called for new types of think tanks to improve governance and enhance China’s “soft power”—the ability to further its interests through culture, media and academia. Here, the Confucius Institute of Indianapolis parades its float during the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, in May 2011. PHOTO: ROBERT LABERGE/GETTY IMAGES
BEIJING—As Beijing intensifies efforts to sway U.S. public opinion, a Chinese organization focused on the disputed South China Sea has set up what its founders say is China’s first think tank inside the Washington Beltway.
The Institute for China-America Studies’ three staff members work from a small office near Ronald Reagan International Airport. Their mission is to research and conduct exchanges on maritime issues and China-U.S. relations, not to represent the Chinese government, according to its executive director, Hong Nong.
“We want to build a platform from which we can convey the right message to both sides,” said Ms. Hong, whose doctoral dissertation from Canada’s University of Alberta examined legal and political issues of the South China Sea.
Its establishment follows an appeal last year from Chinese President Xi Jinping for new types of think tanks to improve governance and enhance China’s “soft power”—the ability to further its interests through culture, media and academia.
The think tank sets China on a path already trod by some Asian neighbors, including regional rivals Japan and Taiwan, which have long funded U.S. think tanks and academic chairs in a bid to influence American policy making.
Sign up here with your email