The U.S. State Department is asking think tanks that wish to engage with it to prominently list all funding they receive from foreign governments and state-owned enterprises, citing concerns about covert influence by China and Russia.
“The unique role of think tanks in the conduct of foreign affairs makes transparency regarding foreign funding more important than ever,” the department said on Oct. 13 in a statement. “To protect the integrity of civil society institutions, the Department requests henceforth that think tanks and other foreign policy organizations that wish to engage with the Department disclose prominently on their websites funding they receive from foreign governments, including state-owned or state-operated subsidiary entities.”
