According to the newly-released 2014 China Think Tank Influence Report, the Center for China & Globalization (CCG) was ranked among the top three most influential private independent think tanks in China.

The report, compiled by the State Council affiliated China.com.org and the Horizon Institute of Global Development Power (HIGDP), is the first ranking of think tanks in China that employs objective criteria to gauge the influence of Chinese private think tanks. These criteria included the professional, governmental, international, and social influence of a given think tank. The Report spent over year interviewing more than 100 think tank experts and collecting and analyzing data from the over 300 major think tanks in China.   

CCG, the largest independent think tank dedicated to promoting the globalization of China’s enterprises and talent, was ranked the 3rd most influential private independent think tank in the country after Horizon Research Consultancy Group and China Institute for Reform and Development. On the full list that includes all types of think tanks, both ones that are independent and those affiliated with the government, CCG is ranked 13th in terms of influence. Although the Chinese think tank landscape remains dominated by state-owned players, private independent think tanks like CCG are emerging as a major force, making for a greater diversity and enriching the scholarly output among think tanks in China.  

The report was also the first of its kind to be issued since President Xi argued that the country needed to "build think tanks catering specifically to China as part of its policymaking consultation system" at the 3rd Plenum of CPC’s 18th Central Committee in 2013. Noting the essential role think tanks will play in building up China’s soft power, Xi urged that a national strategy be designed and implemented to cultivate new types of think tanks with Chinese characteristics. CCG believes that independent think tanks have important advantages with respect to directly utilizing social resources to conduct policy research aimed at promoting the public interest and accelerating social development. In particular, such organizations can make the best use of wide-ranging expertise from within society, including highly regarded senior scholars, former top-level governmental and political figures, and prominent business executives.  

Since its establishment in 2008, CCG has quickly developed into a leading private independent think tank that has over 70 research and administrative staff. In addition to its four research institutes in China, CCG has overseas offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Frankfurt, Paris and Sydney.  It has also been designated as a base for talent development theory study by the CPC’s Central Committee Coordination Team for Talent Development Affairs (中央人才工作协调小组办公室人才理论研究基地).

In the past several years, CCG has made remarkable achievements in policy research. Every year, it publishes around 10 study reports on a wide range of issues related to the globalization of Chinese enterprises and talent, including four series of Bluebook reports that have had a major impact on discussion and policy-making around these issues.  The research findings and policy recommendations put forward in this work have effectively helped the government identify flaws in current public policies and come up with innovative solutions to correct these problems. For example, the launching of the "One Thousand Talents" plan and creation of the "talent visa" were both originally proposed by CCG. Aside from its research and policy advocacy work, CCG has organized and hosted a large number of forums, seminars, and other academic exchange activities. With these gatherings, CCG has been able to pool intellectual resources from all over the world to contribute to China’s social development.