Abstract: As China's status as a global power strengthens, Western countries have adopted and continue to adopt multiple measures aimed at containing the growth of China's influence in the region and the world. These conditions require China to continually improve its foreign policy strategies. Thus, the establishment of think tanks has become one of the key tools operated by China's public diplomacy in the 21st century. The object of this study is the public diplomacy of contemporary China, while the subject of the research is Chinese think tanks. The author pays special attention to the significance of these centers in the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiative, as well as their role in combating the stigmatization of China in the world during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this research is to analyze the role that think tanks play in the implementation of contemporary China's "soft power." To achieve this aim, descriptive and analytical methods were used. The main conclusions drawn by the author are as follows: the state significance of think tanks in China has been gradually increasing since the 2010s, and this trend not only continues but also strengthens in the 2020s. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the task of shaping and regulating the country's international image has gained particular importance for China. Think tanks today are a key link in the process of implementing this complex task. Their activities also contribute to ensuring more coordinated regional cooperation with China's partner countries. The scientific novelty of this study lies in exploring the unique research and propaganda roles of Chinese think tanks in the 2010s and 2020s, as well as proposing a hypothesis about the future of these centers within China.

Keywords: stigma, pandemic, politics, COVID-19, think tanks, foreign policy, public diplomacy, USA, international relations, China