The prominently staffed ZDS advisory board was founded at the end of 2014. Its function is to advise the Center with regard to its strategic development and network character. Five Chinese and four German public figures are members of the advisory board.

On the Chinese side they are:

• Mr. Prof. Dr. LIU Wei, economist, vice president of PKU
• Mr. Prof. Dr. WANG Bo, philosopher, director of the Center for Regional Studies at PKU
• Mr. Prof. Dr. HUANG Liaoyu, German philologist, director of the ZDS
• Mr. Prof. Dr. TONG Shijun, philosopher, party secretary of East China Normal University in Shanghai
• Mr. XIE Baijun, businessman
• Mr. SHI Mingde, acting Chinese ambassador in Berlin

And on the German side:

• Mr. Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Jürgen Kocka, historian
• Ms. Prof. Dr. Herta Däubler-Gmelin, former German Federal Minister of Justice
• Mr. Prof. em. Dr. jur. habil. Dr. jur. h. c. mult. Bernd Schünemann, lawyer
• Mr. Michael Kahn-Ackermann, sinologist, China Special Representative of the Mercator Foundation and former head of Goethe Institute Beijing