nstitute of Silk Road Strategy Studies of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) ranks fourth among “the Belt and Road” (B&R) university think tanks in 2019 for its comprehensive influence, which has risen steadily from ninth in 2017.

Comprehensive influence consists of academic influence, decision-making influence and media influence, according to the B&R University Think Tank Comprehensive Influence Report 2019 issued by the B&R University Think Tank Association on Sep.5.

Founded in September,2015, SISU’s Institute of Silk Road Strategy Studies has collaborated with domestic and international think tanks to form a silk road research paradigm featuring humanity, economy and security.

“According to President Xi, advancing the B&R construction demands a stronger system of relevant knowledge, theories and discourse,” said Ma Lirong, director of SISU’s Institute of Silk Road Strategy Studies, “Therefore, we’re accelerating the construction of these systems.”

From 2017 to 2019, the institute has been included in Shanghai’s think tank construction plan of universities. China Silk Road Studies Network initiated by the institute was established in 2016, helping promote the transition of global silk road studies and enhanced Chinese impacts on silk road studies.

New Silk Road Journal, founded in 2017 by the institute, is the first academic journal on silk road studies in China. It explores the latest achievements in Dunhuang studies, a branch of Chinese ancient culture, and provides solid theoretical support for the B&R construction. So far, ten issues have been published.

Speaking of the course system on silk road studies, Ma said, “A relatively complete course system has recently been formed, including silk road and sino-foreign relations, and theories and methods of silk road studies."

Institute of Silk Road Strategy Studies of SISU became a Chinese Think Tank Index（CTTI） source think tank in 2018 and is recognized by the Research and Evaluation Center of Chinese Think Tank.