2011 report to congress - U.S.-China Economic and Security Review ...

dkrause on DSKHT7XVN1PROD with $$_JOB271Major Chinese foreign policy research institutions and theiraffiliations —ContinuedGovernmentDevelopment Research CentreChinese Academy of Social SciencesChina Institute of International StudiesChina Institutes of Contemporary InternationalRelationsChina Center for International Economic ExchangesLocal GovernmentShanghai Institutes for International StudiesAcademic *Institute of International RelationsStrategy and Conflict Research CenterInstitute of International StudiesSchool of International StudiesSchool of International StudiesInstitute of International StudiesInstitute of International Strategy and DevelopmentState CouncilState CouncilMinistry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of State SecurityNational Development and ReformCommissionShanghai City GovernmentChina Foreign Affairs UniversityChina Foreign Affairs UniversityFudan UniversityPeking UniversityRenmin UniversityTsinghua UniversityTsinghua UniversityChinese leaders often use think tanks and academia not only asa resource but also as a platform for testing potentially controversialforeign policies and gauging the response. Ms. Lawrence testifiedto the Commission that Beijing uses ‘‘semi-official actors’’ fromscholarly institutions to float ideas, and that:[There is an] interesting relationship between scholars andthe government. On the one hand, they sometimes willpresent themselves as being independent analysts of the situation,and yet there are classes of scholars who arecleared by the government to essentially speak for it andalso to run with certain kinds of ideas and see what kindof response they get from them. 163Public Opinion and Internet UsersWhile not nearly as influential as some of the above-listedgroups, public opinion and Internet users are growing increasinglyinfluential in foreign policy-making as Internet use becomes moreprevalent in China. There are over 500 million Internet users inChina, 195 million of which are active bloggers, many of whom utilizethe Internet as a forum for the discussion of politics, governance,and foreign affairs, among other things. 164 The Commission’s2010 Annual Report to Congress notes:China’s leadership, at all levels of the government, increasinglyuses the Internet to interact with the Chinese people.This practice, interwoven with strict censorship controls, affordsthe government the ability to allow a controlled onlinedebate about certain issues . . . The government then* Most Chinese university-affiliated research institutes are administered by the Ministry ofEducation and lack substantial links to foreign policymakers in China. However, some expertsfrom these institutions are well known and have influence on foreign policy-making. ThomasJ. Bickford and Kristen Gunness, China’s International Relations Think Tanks: Structure, Roles,and Change (Alexandria, VA: The CNA Corporation, September 2007), p. 5.VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:46 Nov 10, 2011 Jkt 067464 PO 00000 Frm 00283 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 G:\GSDD\USCC\2011\067464.XXX 067464