WASHINGTON—Surrounding the 100th year of the Chinese Communist Party—a grim milestone reached in recent days—The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center released “The 2021 China Transparency Report.” The report is a comprehensive guide to help policymakers assess the current state of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) global ambitions and the Chinese government’s level of transparency on a host of policy issue areas critical to those ambitions. 

The new report tracking the CCP’s alarming lack of transparency is the latest installment of Heritage’s ongoing China Transparency Project, which includes a podcast called “China Uncovered.” 

The 2021 China Transparency Report scores transparency across eight different sectors. In each of the eight categories examined, the CCP received a score from 1-10. The highest rating for any category was a 5:  

1)      The Economy: 4 out of 10 

2)      Energy and the Environment: 4 out of 10 

3)      Human Rights: 1 out of 10 

4)      Influence Operations: 3 out of 10 

5)      The Military: 5 out of 10 

6)      Outbound Investment: 3 out of 10 

7)      Politics and Law: 4 out of 10 

8)      Technology: 3 out of 10 

“This inaugural release of the 2021 China Transparency Report comes at a critical point in our struggle to confront the rising threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” said James Carafano, Heritage vice president for national security and foreign policy, and E.W. Richardson Fellow. “The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the CCP’s founding, and as China continues its rise, its actions have growing implications for the globe. U.S.– China relations will continue to be one of the most important issues for decades to come, and thus it is critical that our leaders be informed about the challenges the CCP presents. This document is an effort to help provide policymakers with answers.” 

“Transparency is important because the Chinese government has a history of withholding, manipulating, and falsifying data for its own purposes. As U.S. policymakers look to address the China challenge, access to reliable data becomes increasingly important,” said director of the Asian Studies Center and report editor Walter Lohman. “Data help to provide accurate assessments of China’s capabilities, expose areas where China poses the greatest threat to U.S. interests, and examine where threats are overstated.” 

Access the full report here.