The South China Sea dispute involves not only diplomatic and military games，but also a fierce international public opinion war. As a global public opinion strategy，the American think tank set the agenda for the south China sea policy and shaped public opinion. In this paper，taking the brookings study of the south China sea issue for example，a snapshot of law and characteristics of the American think-tank research on the south China sea issue，giving the suggestions how to guide the international issues of public opinion，promoting the construction of newly think-tank with Chinese characteristics. The study found that the brookings institution has a growing interest in the south China sea issue. The researchers have a superior academic background and “spin” in the various sector；By producing various publications，think tanks regularly hold seminars on the issue of the south China sea，and joint operations with the media to set international issues and guide public opinion.