China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) is the think tank of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It conducts research and analysis on a wide range of foreign policy issues.

The Institute was founded in 1956 under the name of Institute of International Relations, and assumed the present name in December 1986. In 1998, China Center for International Affairs, formerly a research institution of China's State Council, was incorporated with CIIS. Successive presidents of the Institute include Meng Yongqian, Yao Zhongming, Li Huichuan, Zheng Weizhi, Wang Shu, Du Gong, Yang Chengxu, Song Mingjiang, Ma Zhengang, Qu Xing.The current president is Su Ge.

Research at the Institute is focused primarily on medium and long-term policy issues of strategic importance, particularly those concerning international politics and world economy. It also includes comments and policy recommendations on the world's major events and hot-spot issues. The Institute hosts various seminars and conferences to discuss latest international developments and advance issue-specific studies. It has constructed a world-wide scholarly and second-track exchange network, holding regular meetings with some foreign research institutions and running collaborative research projects with both domestic and foreign scholars on issues of shared interests.

Research findings at CIIS are presented in reports to the country's foreign policy makers and institutions, as well as in published books and articles. In both cases, the views expressed in the writings are those of the authors, not representing CIIS.

The staff of CIIS consists of nearly one hundred researchers and other professionals. Among them are senior diplomats, leading area-study specialists, and preeminent experts in major fields of foreign affairs. Young scholars at CIIS all have advanced university degree in I.R. or related disciplines.

The Institute consists of the Departments of Department of Global Strategy, Information and Contingencies Analysis, American Studies, Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation, EU Studies, Developing Countries Studies, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies, World Economy and Development Studies. Besides, there are Research Centers focused respectively on the study of European Union, the Middle East, the South Pacific, China's Energy Strategy, Periphery Security and World Economy and Security.

CIIS has its own Library and Information Center. The Library holdings include over 300,000 books. The collection on international affairs is among the best in the country.

International Studies is the Journal of CIIS. Its contributors include CIIS researchers and outside foreign affairs experts. The journal provides an influential forum for the discussion of important international issues and China's foreign policy. It has an English edition for foreign readers.