This tradition continues and today more than two thirds of its 50 staff are non-party members. These staff members can continue working until they reach the age of 70 – five years later than the normal retirement date for party members.

“The counsellors have become a unique channel to offer opinions [to the leadership] to enable them to make decisions on governance issues in a more democratic and scientific manner,” said Wang Zhongwei, the office’s director, who was deputy secretary general of the State Council before he took the helm of the office in 2015.

“They have made contributions to many pieces of legislation,” Wang said, adding that counsellors’ input had helped improve the quality of legislation.

According to Wang, the counsellors also reach out to experts in different sectors to ensure their opinions are objective and reflect reality.

“We organise a lot of discussions and talk to professionals in industries, government departments and academics,” said Wang. “Sometimes, we have different opinions and we have our own point of views. But we will state the facts [about these different views] in our reports.”

One of the counsellors, Xia Bin, said the office produced quarterly reports on economy and finance and often talked to analysts from investment banks in Hong Kong.

“One of the most important roles of the Counsellors’ Office is to strengthen liaison with experts and academics who are not Communist Party members,” Wang said.

Wang Zhaoxing, another counsellor, said the office had spoken to an executive from a major German chemical company in 2016 when they reviewed a proposal to shut down all chemical plants near the Yangtze River.

Based on the German experience, the office produced a report recommending tighter control over waste discharge from the chemical plants instead of a blanket ban – a proposal that was eventually adopted.

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The office chief Wang Zhongwei stressed that the counsellors can speak their mind freely when they discuss policies.

“[Free discussion] has never been an issue,” said Wang. “Before the detailed implementation rules for tax reduction were announced, our opinions were different from those of the Ministry of Finance and we have had very heated debates. These discussions were allowed.”

These different viewpoints are often summarised in the reports submitted to the State Council.

“We don’t try to generalise or take a conclusive stand,” he added. “Our reports are meant to reflect different opinions.”

While the role of the Counsellors’ Office is often compared to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a key advisory body that includes a significant number of non-party members, Wang said the think tank was more of an “elite” body. Its members are all “hired” by the premier and their rights and responsibilities clearly spelt out.

The office channels opinions faster than the CPPCC.

“CPPCC members must make proposals to get their voice heard. They can’t be compared to us in terms of frequency [of submitting reports].

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“We are part of the government and our reports are considered government documents that [relevant departments] must act on,” said Wang.

The office has also set up a “collective public policy online platform” for the public to submit opinions.

Yi Peng, founder of Pangoal Institution, an independent think tank in Beijing, said the counsellors’ office has attracted talent both from within the party and outside and has proved its value over the decades.

“It is a good opportunity to promote competition with non government think-tanks like us by opening [the office] to the outside world,” Yi said.