Mysterious veil of China's top 10 think tanks that long time provide idea, advice and consultation for decision-makers were finally raised Tuesday at the country's first Forum on Think Tank held in Beijing, according to a Hong Kong-based Takunpao report from Beijing, which says that this is the first gathering of china's think tanks.

The top 10 think tanks are: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Development Research Center of the State Council, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chinese Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), China Institute of International Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (CNCPEC), China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), China Institute for International Strategic Studies and Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

The ranking was made by reputed domestic scientific research institutes and universities, experts and scholars and intelligence organizations, based on the quantity of ideas and consultations they provided towards policy-making.  Furthermore the effect in the political, economic, cultural, military and foreign relations fields brought by their contributions was measured, according to the report.

Of them, the CASS and Development Research Center of the State Council are the major two think-tanks for the central government and related authorities. The two, gathering together experts and scholars in social sciences and economic fields from around the country, have played an important role in the country's domestic and foreign policy-making. Others such as CICIR, the China Institute of International Studies, CNCPEC and the Shanghai Institute for International Studies focus on foreign policy research. As China's position in the world rises and China creates active foreign policies in years to come, foreign relations research will become more important and provide direct intellectual support for the country's foreign policy-making.

The Chinese Academy of Military Sciences of the PLA and China Institute for International Strategic Studies serve as military policy-making think tanks, providing ideas for military strategy, army building and future development.

Some experts claimed that unveiling the top 10 think tanks will promote the development of China's research institutes and organizations, according to the report, which adds that proactive communication between think tanks and the government will be enhanced. Experts suggest the government should help the development of grassroots think tanks, renewing strong support for national macro policy-making and strategic development.

(China News Service, translated by Zhang Yunxing for China.org.cn, November 9, 2006)