As new think tanks spring up in China to study the Belt and Road initiative, experts have called for improved research abilities.
An alliance of think tanks dedicated to the Belt and Road initiative was formed in Beijing last year and now covers 80 related think tanks.
There are more than 100 think tanks focused on researching the initiative, but their research orientations are distinct from each other, said Li Shaoxian, head of the Arab research institute at Ningxia University.
To better serve the government and society, they need more professionals and improve their basic research abilities, according to Li.
Li said the purpose of a good think tank is to provide wisdom and make China's voice better heard around the world.
The Chinese government has actively supported the establishment of elite think tanks to serve the nation's development and has released documents to regulate their development.
In any country, think tanks play a role in the making, assessment and implementation of decisions, said Wang Linggui, researcher from the Research and Development International (RDI), a young think tank led by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
As the Belt and Road initiative has entered a key period of implementation, excellent thinks tanks are urgently needed for their professional research, insight and influence, Wang said.
Professional think tanks can use varied resources to promote domestic and international cooperation and improve policy exchanges between countries, helping lay a foundation to push the initiative, he said.
For instance, the RDI has released several reports on major companies, laws and rules in countries involved in the initiative, providing a better understanding for Chinese policy makers and companies aiming to do business overseas, according to Wang.
He said RDI will also jointly launch a service platform with Kazakhstan serving economic cooperation between the two countries.
A global report on think tanks released by the University of Pennsylvania in January showed China remained the second biggest country in terms of the number of think tanks, and its number of top-150 global think tanks also increased from seven to nine in 2015.
Non-government think tanks should seize the opportunities and enhance their research abilities, said Li.
