The China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) is a research institution directly affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Founded in 1956 as the Institute of International Relations of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was reorganized as the China Institute of International Studies in 1986 and officially adopted its current name in 2014. In 2020, CIIS was designated as a pilot institution for the development of national high-end think tanks.
In December 2019, with the approval of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Centre, with the support of CIIS. The Centre aims to carry out study, interpretation, and promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy in a comprehensive, systematic, and in-depth manner. In July 2020, the Centre was officially inaugurated.
CIIS currently comprises 11 research departments:
1. Comprehensive Research Department of the Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Centre
2. Department for International and Strategic Studies
3. Department for American Studies
4. Department for Asia-Pacific Studies
5. Department for European Studies
6. Department for European-Central Asian Studies
7. Department for Developing Countries Studies
8. Department for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
9. Department for World Economy and Development
10. Department for World Peace and Security
11. Department for Global Governance and International Organizations
In July 2024, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Center for Global Security Initiative Studies was established under the auspices of CIIS. Additionally, CIIS hosts several national-level research centers, including the China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies, the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Global Partnership Center, and the Global Center for Mekong Studies (China Center). CIIS also has the Editorial Office of International Studies, which is responsible for editing and publishing Chinese-language bimonthly journal International Studies and English-language bimonthly journal China International Studies.
