HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020534.jpg

75

Another analyst noted that we need "a granular view on issues of sharp power."
He pointed in particular to Confucius Institutes, arguing that he would not accept
Confucius Institute–sponsored research, but was fine with language training, although
it would be better to get them off campuses. He laughed at the idea that they were
"effective instruments of Chinese propaganda." Along these lines, a few individuals
indicated that they were less concerned about Chinese influence in the social sciences
and more concerned about reports that Chinese students and postdocs in scientific
research labs bring restricted technologies back to China.

Finally, there were calls from some analysts for far more reciprocity than currently exists.
These analysts felt that the playing field between the two countries was out of balance
and argued that there should be a much stronger dose of reciprocity and "hardball" in
US-China exchanges, arguing that the American side should curtail or cut off contacts
until Chinese institutions were willing to operate at a level of openness similar to that
found in their American counterparts.

Conclusion and Recommendations

American think-tank scholars working on China face an increasingly challenging
research environment. But in this challenge, they are hardly unique. Members of
the media and the civil society/NGO world also share similar, even more daunting,
challenges. The process for obtaining visas has become more onerous; the quality of
engagement with Chinese counterparts has declined and become more difficult; and
opportunities to do field-based research, as well as archival work, have diminished.
Track 2 dialogues are viewed with increasing skepticism as to their value by more
and more US scholars and policy specialists, who find their Chinese colleagues ever
more unable and/or unwilling to share their perspectives in an open and meaningful
manner. Many think-tank analysts are responding by limiting their Track 2 efforts and
changing the way they conduct their research.

At the same time, a small but growing group of well-funded Chinese scholars and
officials are proactively seeking to shape the American narrative and American views
of China. They are doing so by supporting and funding joint projects with American
partners in ways that reflect Chinese government priorities, but they give them the
opportunity to choose and work with only those American scholars viewed by China
as sympathetic to China’s goals. To date, these efforts do not appear to have influenced
the US debate over China in a significant manner, but it is important to be aware of
the money and effort being thrown at the endeavor.

Chinese funding of American think tanks remains limited. C.H. Tung, through his
China-US Exchange Foundation, is to date the most common source of financial
support, although most report his funding as "hands-off." A few Chinese companies

Section 5
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020534