PALO ALTO, the United States, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Stanford University aims to advance study on the Asia-Pacific region as its Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) marks its 40 years of research, education, and dialogues.
A two-day conference was held on campus Wednesday and Thursday with renowned experts focusing on the challenges, opportunities and trends in the Asia-Pacific, including Asian study, governance and democracy, journalism, the sustainable city, Artificial Intelligence technologies, and the future of U.S.-China relations.
The two-day event highlights multiple aspects of APARC's core areas of expertise and examines key forces affecting Asia's present and shaping its future, said APARC Director and Professor of Sociology Gi-Wook Shin.
The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than half of the world's population and is the fastest growing part of the global economy. The impact of Asia extends far beyond its territorial boundaries and far beyond such simple metrics as size and economic might, said Kathryn Moler, vice provost and Dean of Research at Stanford University.
"We've entered into an era in which Asian nations have a prominent role as global powers, and remarkable economic growth and technological advancements are important in their own sake, as well as for the shift that they have brought the geopolitical balance," she said.
"Constructive dialogue will help us address the challenges and opportunities for the entire region," she added.
Since its founding in 1983, APARC has devoted itself to building an active interdisciplinary community of scholars and practitioners who come together to tackle questions with geopolitical and social import by bridging research, education, and policy outreach.
For four decades, the center has been leading the way in Asia-Pacific research, trained many cohorts of emerging Asia scholars, produced numerous publications, hosted esteemed experts and policymakers, and strengthened dialogues and cooperation between counterparts in the Asia-Pacific and the United States.
