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a junior researcher was told not to list the think tank as her place of employment
on her visa application or it might be rejected. (To avoid this scenario, the senior
researcher reached out to a Chinese official to pave the way and the visa was issued.)
In another instance, a visa expediter was banned from doing business with the
Chinese embassy after it informed a think tank that it had landed on a list making
it difficult to get visas.

A senior Chinese official told one think-tank analyst that responsibility for reviewing
visa requests has shifted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of
Public Security, thus creating many delays and difficulties. One US think-tank scholar
reported that he has not only been advised on a number of occasions not to even
apply for a visa but also has had a planned invitation to a conference hosted by an
American company revoked because the Foreign Ministry told the company not to
invite him. Others have been granted visas only for “personal” trips, with the proviso
that they do no public speaking nor meet with anyone outside of family members or
cultural figures.

Think-tank scholars report that on several occasions, when one member of a
delegation has been in danger of not receiving a visa (or not receiving it in time),
reaching out to the Chinese Embassy or consular officials (in one case threatening to
cancel the delegation) has resulted in a favorable disposition. Two think tanks now
routinely reach out to Chinese officials before submitting applications in order to pave
the way. Nonetheless, a few think-tank analysts are concerned about being beholden
to the embassy or the consulate and the shadow such dependency casts on their ability
to continue their work. One analyst indicated that although he is asked to help other
members of the think tank with their visa issues, he does not want to be in debt to the
embassy and therefore does not offer to help proactively.

Chinese Media and Think Tanks

The Chinese media offer both opportunities and pitfalls to American think-tank
analysts. A significant part of a think-tank analyst’s job is to influence official and
public opinion—and the media, whether Chinese or Western, is an essential part of
that process. Think-tank analysts are under no illusion, however, that the Chinese
media can be trusted to present their ideas as they are delivered. As one interviewee
underscored, “The desire of Chinese media is to make Americans see things the
Chinese way—in a positive and beneficial light—and to present positive American
views to the Chinese public. You have to be prepared that the Chinese media will have
leading questions and know that they will not include critical things.” One senior
US scholar has had multiple experiences of censorship, and one case of fabricated
quotations, by Chinese newspapers. It is also apparent that Chinese journalists

Section 5

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