Leading American think tank RAND Corporation has received a donation of 3 million U.S. dollars to support its China policy studies, RAND officials announced Monday.

The donation from the Cyrus and Michael Tang Foundation will be used to establish the Tang Chair in China policy studies at this global policy institution in California.

The chair will support a senior scholar to undertake research on the critical factors influencing China's future, particularly in education and health care, according to a statement by RAND.

"This significant gift will enable RAND to establish our first endowed chair with an international focus," said the institution's president and CEO Michael D. Rich.

"We are very grateful for the continued generosity of the Tang family and look forward to furthering RAND's China-focused policy research and analysis capabilities," he added.

The Tang Institute for U.S.-China Relations, which will house the new Tang Chair, is part of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP), where Cyrus and Michael Tang has served as members of the advisory board.

Rafiq Dossani, director of CAPP and a senior economist at Rand, said that "with this additional gift we will be able to significantly broaden our research on China and improve the impact of RAND's policy expertise on China's future growth."

Cyrus Tang is the CEO and chairman of Tang Industries, an international manufacturing and distribution company based in Las Vegas. Michael Tang is vice chairman of Tang Industries and CEO of National Material L.P. They are both longtime Rand supporters.

"The Tang Institute has been successful in fostering dialogue and exchange between the United States and China on issues such as economic development, labor and trade, and direct foreign investment," Cyrus Tang said.

"Our family feels that the new endowed chair will enable effective discussions on education and health care in order to help address China's long-term growth needs," he added.