New Zealand think tank leading on China political research

2 May 2017 (Media Release)

A leading New Zealand based think tank has submitted its latest research to China following on from ground-breaking recognition by Beijing for their work on Chinese political ideology in 2015.

The research is by the World Civilization Forum, an independent organisation founded in 2011, and according to its authors reveals how the Chinese president is forging new territory on the sensitive topic of Chinese ideology despite facing challenges from within China.

“Since coming into power at the 18th congress in 2012, President Xi Jinping has attached high importance to Chinese ideology, but his enthusiasm has not always been shared by China’s academic elite,” said the forum’s Secretary General Simon Page.

“Our 2015 research presented the case that leading European and American scholars have over time revised their view on the Chinese political system and consider it to have a legitimate uniqueness, however, scholars from within China do not necessarily share that view and tend to accept the authoritarian label.

“It is quite a surprising contradiction that non-Chinese scholars believe in a distinct China model more than the Chinese scholars do.”

Page said that the organisation’s research focused on a major Xi Jinping speech which was given at the National Ideology conference in 2013 entitled “Four Clarifications” (“”). He said their research showed how the content of the speech represented a pioneering move by the Chinese president to lift a long-held restriction on research into a Chinese system of ideology.

The Forum was awarded a works registration certificate by China’s Copyright Protection Centre in February 2015 for that research, a feat Page described as a “first of its kind” for an independent Western organisation.

“Our research was direct to the point on a sensitive topic so it is very interesting and significant that we were awarded registration recognising the legitimacy of our findings.”

The Forum’s latest research builds on that achievement and, according to Page, suggests that Xi Jinping has highly ambitious plans to see 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation distilled into a value system that has not only Chinese but universal appeal.

“On the 25th of January this year, a new high-profile Xi Jinping initiative called ‘The Project on Inheritance and Development of Outstanding Chinese Traditional Culture’ [“”] was publicly announced by the General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and State Council.

“It is the first time a Party leader has formalised a project on this topic as a strategic matter under the Central Committee of the CPC which shows how determined Xi is to realise progress during his presidency.”

Page said that whilst they engaged intellectual property experts to manage their research submission in 2015, this time the organisation has submitted their work directly to the Chinese Consulate General in Auckland.

“Because of President Xi’s high-level initiative on outstanding Chinese traditional culture, all overseas based Chinese agencies are open to work on this topic. It’s a very significant shift in policy from days’ past,” he said.

ENDS

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