The Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) is China’s Country Coordinator Institute for the Network of East Asian Think-tanks (NEAT), the Network of ASEAN-China Think-tanks (NACT) and the Network of Trilateral Cooperation of Think-tanks (NTCT). It serves China’s grand strategy of diplomacy, and facilities the work of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of China. “To conduct Asian studies with global perspectives, to be a high-end think-tank on solid academic foundation” is the mission of the IAS.
History
The 1997 Asian financial crisis gave birth to the ASEAN plus China, Japan and the ROK cooperation mechanism (10+3). In 2002, the East Asian Study Group (EASG) proposed establishing the Network of East Asian Think-tanks (NEAT) within the “10+3” framework, to provide intellectual support for Track One cooperation. This proposal was formally adopted at the Sixth Leaders’ Meeting of ASEAN Plus China, Japan and the ROK in the same year. China took on this task. At the end of 2003, China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) was designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China as the Country Coordinator Institute for “NEAT China”. In 2004, East Asian Studies Center was established at CFAU as the secretariat of “NEAT China” to conduct Track Two diplomacy and relevant academic and policy research. In 2013, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, Premier Li Keqiang advocated the establishment of the Network of ASEAN-China Think-tanks (NACT), to contribute wisdom to the “diamond decade” of China-ASEAN strategic partnership and to the building of China-ASEAN community of common destiny. East Asian Studies Center was designated as the Country Coordinator Institute for “NACT China”. In 2013, with the support of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TSC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China established the Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center (TCSC), which is an affiliation to East Asian Studies Center, and the first officially recognized think-tank dedicated to trilateral cooperation studies. In early 2014, in order to adapt to the new requirements of the new circumstances, East Asian Studies Center was renamed the Institute of Asian Studies. In the same year, China, Japan and the ROK agreed to establish the Network of Trilateral Cooperation of Think-tanks (NTCT) at the earliest opportunity and designated their own Country Coordinator Institutes. The Institute of Asian Studies in China Foreign Affairs University was designated as the Country Coordinate Institutes for “NTCT China”.
Organizational Structure
In order to effectively mobilize resources of Asian Studies from the government, the industries and the academia, and to facilitate the building of a domestic network of Asian Studies, the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) has set up a four-level structure of organization, including a Council, an Advisory Committee, an Expert Committee and an academic team. The Council is the decision-making body for the major development issues of the IAS. The Advisory Committee is mainly composed of experienced senior diplomats and former Chinese ambassadors to Asian countries, providing guidance and advice for the IAS’s academic and policy research. The Expert Committee consists of famous pundits and scholars on international studies at home and abroad, offering guidance and evaluation of the IAS’s researches and projects. The academic team includes full-time researchers of the IAS, experts of international politics, international economics and international law with a research focus on Asian issues, and experts and scholars of the NACT China bases and the TCSC China associates.
Amb. WU Jianmin, Former President of China Foreign Affairs University, served as Director of the Institute of Asian Studies and China Country Coordinator for NEAT from 2004-2008. Professor Qin Yaqing, President of China Foreign Affairs University; Member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Committee of the Chinese Foreign Ministry; Vice President of China National Association for International Studies. Professor Qin was China Country Coordinator for NEAT, NACT and NTCT from 2008-2015 and also served as Director of the Institute of Asian Studies from 2008-2010. Professor WEI Ling, Director of Chinese Foreign Policy Studies Center at CFAU, is China Country Coordinator for NEAT, NACT and NTCT.
Three Think-tanks
The Institute of Asian Studies at China Foreign Affairs University is China’s Country Coordinator Institute for NEAT, NACT and NTCT.
The Network of East Asian Think-tanks (NEAT)
The Network of East Asian Think-tanks (NEAT) was established as one of the seventeen short-term measures to build the East Asian community, and a major mechanism of the Track II process of “10+3” to provide intellectual support for government cooperation among the 10+3 countries. In 2004, NEAT adopted its constitutional document Basic Rules and Framework of the Network of East Asian Think-Tanks (NEAT) and established a three-level working mechanism including Country Coordinators’ Meeting, Annual Conference and Working Group Meeting. In 2005, the NEAT Working Group mechanism was officially initiated. Over the following decade, NEAT has set up nearly 60 working groups in various fields including regional architecture, financial cooperation, trade and investment, cultural exchange, energy security, food security, disaster management, connectivity, water resource management, urbanization, inclusive growth, and cooperation in extractive industries. NEAT submits an annual report with policy recommendations to the “10+3” Summit Meeting each year. All country leaders value and speak highly of the work of NEAT, which is hailed as the bellwether of the Track Two diplomacy in East Asia. The Institute of Asian Studies has organized eighteen NEAT working groups in such fields as financial investment, trade and investment facilitation, disaster management, and infrastructure connectivity. In 2012, the Institute of Asian Studies successfully hosted the 10th NEAT Annual Conference.
The Network of ASEAN-China Think-tanks (NACT)
The Network of ASEAN-China Think-tanks (NACT) was proposed in 2013, and officially launched in 2014. Within just more than a year, significant progress has been made in NACT mechanism building. So far, a three-level working mechanism including Country Coordinators’ Meeting, Working Group Meeting and Annual Conference has been built, and a regional network of think-tanks has been basically formed. On July 3, 2014, the 1st NACT Country Coordinators’ Meeting (NACT CCM) was held in Beijing, which adopted NACT Concept Paper, and established the principles, purposes and operation mechanism of NACT. On July 4th, the Seminar on Building a China-ASEAN Community of Common Destiny and Launching Ceremony of Network of ASEAN-China Think Tanks was held by China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. Within the NACT framework, a network of “NACT China” research bases has taken shape, and their research work has started. In November 2014, Premier Li Keqiang made it clear in East Asian leaders’ meetings that NEAT and NACT should give a full play of their positive roles and pool wisdom for Asian cooperation.
The Network of Trilateral Cooperation Think-tanks (NTCT)
The Network of Trilateral Cooperation Think-tanks was established in April, 2015. It is the first officially recognized regional think-tank network devoted to the research on China-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation. Its mission is to promote exchanges and cooperation among think-tanks in China, Japan and the ROK, and establish a platform for dialogues among the governments, the industries, the academia and the media. The Institute of Asian Studies at China Foreign Affairs University has been designated as Country Coordinator Institute for NTCT China. Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR) and Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) have also been designated as Japan and ROK Country Coordinator for NTCT respectively.
Three Domestic Networks
In order to share Track II resources, and to mobilize the academic strength at home and combine local advantages, the Institute of Asian Studies has been actively building three domestic networks of think-tanks, namely the NACT China Bases and the TCSC China Associates and NTCT China Bases, so as to build a high-quality academic and policy research team, and jointly contribute to neighborhood diplomacy and regional cooperation. Professor Jiang Ruiping, Vice President of China Foreign Affairs University is directly responsible for coordinating the three networks of think-tanks.
Jiang Ruiping is the Vice President of China Foreign Affairs University, professor and Ph.D. supervisor. Professor Jiang is also a member of the Advisory Committee for Economic & Trade Policy of the Ministry of Commerce of PRC, Vice President of Chinese Association of Asia-Pacific Studies and Vice President of National Society of Japanese Economy.
NACT China Bases
Member Institutes of NACT China
Guangxi Base: China-ASEAN Research Institute, Guangxi University
Guangdong Base: Guangdong Institute for International Strategies
Yunnan Base: Institute of International Studies, Yunnan University
Fujian Base: School of International Studies, Xiamen University
TCSC China Associates
The Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center of China Foreign Affairs University was established on October 16, 2013. It is the first officially recognized academic institute devoted to the research on China-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation.
Member Institutes of TCSC China
Jiling Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center, Dalian University of Foreign Languages
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center, Shandong University
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center, Shanghai International Studies University
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center (Law), Renmin University of China
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center, Beijing International Studies University
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center, Nankai University
Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center, Jiangxi Normal University
NTCT China Bases
Tianjin Base: Tianjin Foreign Studies University
Shandong Base: Qingdao University
Jiangsu Base: Nanjing University
Liaoning Base: Liaoning University
Jilin Base: Jilin University
Heilongjiang Base: Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences
Address: 24 Zhanlan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, P. R. China
Tel.: 86-10-68322939
Fax: 86-10-68322939
E-mail: ias@cfau.edu.cn
