1. Introduction

Think tanks and policy research organizations have become an essential resource filling a knowledge-gap between the Chinese political elites and China’s changing society. The ascent role the People’s Republic of China is now playing in world affairs has resulted in more opportunities for Chinese think tanks to play a growing and different role compared with the past, which, at the same time has manifested in an increased interaction between them and their Western counterparts. This perspective highlights the need to make particular reference to how they perform at a regional and global level, as well as with regard to different policy domains. Chinese think tanks are thus fundamental actors in the study of Chinese politics as they are able to perform different functions, notwithstanding China’s authoritarian context.