The Huazhi Institute for Global Governance at Nanjing University is a university research institution that serves as a new high-end think tank to provide a platform for scholars both domestically and internationally. It was jointly established by Nanjing University and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government. Drawing on resources from Nanjing University and talents from around the world, the Institute undertakes six main tasks: Cohesion, Policy Consultation, Theoretical Innovation, Public Opinion Consultation, Social Services and International Exchange. The Institute focuses on global governance issues with domestic and international perspectives in mind, drawing upon experiences in state governance around the world to modernise China's national governance system.
The Huazhi Institute for Global Governance has appointed senior experts and scholars both domestically and internationally as well as renowned overseas Chinese to form its board of directorswhich is headed by an appointed president. Professor Kong Fanbin of the School of Government at Nanjing University is the current president. The institute has also formed a high-level academic committee consisting of more than 20 well-known experts from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), China International Strategic Studies Foundation (CISSF), China Foreign Affairs College (CFAC), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies(SIIS) , American University，University of Bonn，and Nanjing University etc., with Huang Renwei serving as the chairman. In addition, dozens of influential former politicians both domestically and abroad have been recruited to serve as senior advisors or researchers.
In November 2017, the Huazhi Research Center was established at Nanjing University. In April 2019, it was renamed as the Huazhi Institute for Global Governance at Nanjing University. On 22 May , 2019, Qiu Yuanping, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Liaison Committee, former director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council; Yang Yue, Member of Jiangsu Provincial Party Standing Committee and Head of the United Front Work Department; Hu Jinbo, Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Provincial CPPCC and Secretary of Nanjing University Party Committee; Xu Rongmao, a member ofthe Standing Committee of the National Committee of CPPCC and Chairman of Shimao Group unveiled the plaque for this institute.
The institute is closely focused on serving Nanjing University's goals of building the Double First-Class and creating top-level national think tanks. It continuously engages global intellectual resources to accumulate knowledge from overseas experts and conduct forward-looking research on key global governance with strategic solutions. The Institute has several distinctive research directions under three main areas: Global governance research including studies on international organizations and the Belt & Road Initiative; regional governance research including studies on the Asia-Pacific region, the Eurasian region, North American region, African region; national governance research, including studies on social governance, smart city development, environmental management, and industrial transformation. The Institute will gradually develop each area according to actual needs.
Since its establishment, the Institute, together with the academic committees, has made remarkable achievements in both fields such as organizing a series of high-level conferences like the Huazhi Forum on East Asian Cooperation and Innovation in Global Governance, seminars like “Where Are China-US Relations Heading?” attended by leaders such as Dai Bingguo who served as State Councilor, the publication of reports named “Huazhi Research Institute Bulletin” and submitting them to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs etc. Many reports have been fully forwarded to the Central Committee and effectively transformed into policies. The Institute has also set up a WeChat account named Huazhi Global Observation which publishes high-level think tank articles and is praised as the new media platform with most high-level experts and articles in the field of international relations. In due course, several research projects have been launched on important global governance and national governance issues. The research results have won many awards such as the First Prize of National United Front Theory Policy Research, Jiangsu Philosophy Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award, Jiangsu United Front Theory Policy Research Innovation Achievement Award etc. In 2019, Huazhi Institute for Global Governance was successfully selected as one of the sources for Chinese Think Tank Index (CTTI).
The construction of the Huazhi Institute for Global Governance is strongly supported by well-known Chinese enterprises and executives overseas. In 2017, Shimao Group and Mingfa Group donated funds to Nanjing University to support the construction of the Huazhi Institute; in 2019, Jinguang Group donated funds to establish the “Huazhi International Issues Research Special Fund” to specifically support research on international issue at the Huazhi Institute.
The Huazhi Institute for Global Governanceat Nanjing University will adhere to its mission statement: It will continuously respond to questions raised by our time and meet national needs while gathering intellectual resources from home and abroad. It will be rooted in China while looking out towards all corners of the world to build a world-class think tank with distinctive Chinese characteristics.
