Stanford Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

09/01/2026

China’s local governments have played an outsized role in the country’s economic development, but many of them face mounting debt, strained finances, and incentives that can contribute to overcapacity and resource misallocation.

On the latest episode of the East Asia Pulse podcast, Stanford political scientist Jean Oi, William Haas Professor in Chinese Politics and director of APARC’s China Program, discusses the complexities of China’s central-local government relationship and why extensive fiscal reforms are needed.

Speaking with Alfred Schipke, National University of Singapore's East Asian Institute director, Oi examines:

• How local governments have driven innovation and experimentation
• The challenges of balancing economic growth with rising local government debt
• How incentive structures can contribute to overcapacity and misallocation
• The role of local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) in generating revenue
• Why reform is needed to better align local responsibilities with revenue sources

Over the past year, while on academic leave from Stanford, Oi has served as EAI’s Goh Keng Swee Professor in China Studies.

Get the full conversation and explore the key highlights:
https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/news/unpacking-complexities-chinas-local-governments

Unpacking the Complexities of China’s Local Governments Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC News Commentary August 6, 2026 Unpacking the Complexities of China’s Local Governments Speaking on the East Asia Pulse podcast, Stanford political scientist Jean Oi, the director of the China Program at APAR...

08/31/2026

In the Media | Shein’s decision to pursue a Hong Kong IPO reflects a major shift in how the fast-fashion retailer positions itself, Reuters reports. After years of presenting itself as a global player and pursuing listings in New York and London, Shein has ultimately embraced its Chinese roots, says Stanford law professor and APARC faculty affiliate Curtis Milhaupt. “Having failed in the cosmopolitan strategy, I think they saw no choice but to embrace their Chinese roots.”

Get the full story:

Reuters Quotes Curtis Milhaupt on Shein's Hong Kong IPO Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC News Commentary August 28, 2026 Reuters Quotes Curtis Milhaupt on Shein's Hong Kong IPO Before deciding to debut in Hong Kong, Shein had spent four years trying to present itself as a global player. Shein, the f...

08/27/2026

New Research | In an article published in the journal Political Communication, Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab Postdoctoral Fellow Siyu Liang considers how portrayals of China as a threat influence Americans’ support for U.S. policy toward China and attitudes toward Asian Americans.

Combining analysis of a decade of CNN and Fox News coverage with survey and experimental evidence, Liang finds that:

▪️ Both CNN and Fox News increasingly portrayed China as a threat, but emphasized different types of threats.
▪️ Exposure to China threat narratives increases support for hawkish U.S. policy toward China.
▪️ These effects extend beyond foreign policy: threat narratives also increase anti-Asian resentment, especially among Republicans.

The results highlight an important domestic consequence of geopolitical competition: the way we talk about threats abroad can shape how people perceive racial groups at home.

"Striking a balance between addressing geopolitical competition with China and protecting Asian Americans from discrimination remains a critical and unresolved challenge for U.S. democracy," Liang writes.

Get the full article: https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/publication/enemies-abroad-animosity-home

Enemies Abroad, Animosity at Home Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC Publications Journal Articles Political Communication Enemies Abroad, Animosity at Home Media Influence on U.S.-China Policy and Anti-Asian Sentiment Siyu Liang August 16, 2026 Read Online Download How do portrayals of foreign nation...

08/25/2026

We are delighted to share that Pei-Chia Lan, a prominent international sociologist, has been named the Wang and Chen Senior Fellow in Taiwan Studies at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and director of the Taiwan Program at APARC, effective September 1, 2026. She is the first to hold FSI’s new chair in Taiwan Studies, which was endowed by Steve and Jamie Chen and other generous donors.

Lan joins Stanford from National Taiwan University, where she was a distinguished professor in the Department of Sociology and the founding director of the Global Asia Research Center. Her research explores the complexity of intersecting social inequalities in everyday life, shaped by macropower dynamics such as globalization and international migration.

“I hope to build the Taiwan Program into a vibrant intellectual hub that connects Taiwan and North America, brings greater visibility to the rich scholarship of the Taiwan studies community, and places Taiwan in dialogue with other Asian societies through a transnational and comparative lens,” she says.

Pei-Chia Lan to Join FSI as the Wang and Chen Senior Fellow in Taiwan Studies Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC News News August 25, 2026 Pei-Chia Lan to Join FSI as the Wang and Chen Senior Fellow in Taiwan Studies Pei-Chia’s research explores the complexity of intersecting social inequalities in ...

08/21/2026

In Ulaanbaatar for COP17? Join us for a special convening of the Trans-Altai Sustainabilty Dialogue on August 25!

The session, Water Security in Mining Regions: A Natural Capital Approach to Addressing Desertification, features the latest research on water-related risks in Mongolia’s mining sector and brings together international stakeholders to explore practical pathways toward more sustainable mining and climate-resilient landscape management.

10 a.m.-12 p.m. (Ulaanbaatar Time), Blue Zone (Host Country House)

Learn more on our website: https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/event-series-trans-pacific-sustainability-dialogue

08/18/2026

How can robots help address Japan’s elder care workforce shortage?

New research from Stanford health economist Karen Eggleston, director of APARC’s Asia Health Policy Program, Toshiaki Iizuka of The University of Tokyo / UTokyo Graduate School of Economics, Yong Suk Lee of the Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame, and Stanford student Ellie Xi finds that nursing homes adopting care robots saw higher staff retention, more care workers and nurses, and approximately 26% higher total employment.

Rather than replacing workers, the findings suggest that robots may help augment caregivers, reduce physical burdens, and support continuity of care.

As Xi notes, “this research highlights the potential for technology to augment caregivers, particularly by supporting physically demanding or indirect tasks, while preserving the human aspects of care that are more difficult to reproduce.”

Get the full article: https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/news/robots-ease-elder-care-shortages-without-displacing-workers-or-diminishing-care-quality-study

Robots Ease Elder Care Shortages Without Displacing Workers or Diminishing Care Quality, Study Finds Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC News News August 17, 2026 Robots Ease Elder Care Shortages Without Displacing Workers or Diminishing Care Quality, Study Finds The study, one of the first to use inst...

08/17/2026

Calling Stanford graduate students! Our Japan Program is hiring a graduate-level hourly research assistant, starting immediately. This is a unique opportunity to work with Visiting Scholar Niinami Takeshi, a member of the Management Advisory and Evaluation Committee for the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and former CEO of Suntory Holdings Limited. The RA will also assist with research and administrative program activities for the fall quarter.

We are looking for someone with strong organizational, communication, and writing skills, an eye for detail, and basic experience with multimedia and AV technologies.

Apply today: https://aparc.fsi.stanford.edu/education/fellowship-and-training-opportunities/research-assistant-internships

08/13/2026

❗ Faculty Job Alert | Stanford University seeks candidates for a faculty position in Korean Studies, with a preference for those in social science of contemporary Korea or its international relations.

The new faculty member will be appointed as a freestanding Center Fellow (typically the equivalent of the rank of assistant professor) in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, affiliated with APARC.

The deadline for submission is November 30, 2026.

Learn more and share with your networks > https://stanford.io/4fX1uZ9

08/10/2026

“Personal and institutional ties must be rebuilt every day. Diplomacy is like gardening. You pull weeds, you trim rosebushes, and you've got to do it every day," says Shorenstein APARC Fellow Tom Fingar.

A China expert, Fingar is retiring from Stanford at the end of the month after a long career spanning academia, the State Department, and U.S. intelligence. His journey has been inextricably linked with Stanford's institutional history of advancing the field of Asian studies and the evolution of U.S. Asia policy and U.S. national security.

Having dedicated his academic career to understanding China and cultivating U.S.-China ties, he remains cautiously optimistic about the future of the relationship between the two great powers. “I'm concerned," he says, "but not worried [...] If both sides are trying to accomplish something important, and you develop personal relationships, you begin to understand how the system works.”

In a recent conversation, Fingar reflects on the relationship between scholarship and public service and shares a handful of lessons that have shaped his thinking and understanding of international affairs and U.S.-Asia relations. Read on ⬇️

Retiring China Expert Thomas Fingar on Lessons from a Career Across Government and Academe Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC News News August 10, 2026 Retiring China Expert Thomas Fingar on Lessons from a Career Across Government and Academe Reflecting on more than five decades spanning Stanford and....

07/30/2026

Rethinking cooperation in the Asia-Pacific – by Shorenstein APARC Fellow Tom Fingar, drawing on his remarks at the 14th World Peace Forum, co-hosted by Tsinghua University and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. Via China Daily.

The 14th World Peace Forum was co-hosted by Tsinghua University and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs in Beijing from July 2 to 4. A panel discussion examined how evolving regional dynamics can shape the future of Asia-Pacific cooperation on July 3.