Stanford Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

10/30/2026

📹 Watch on demand | The Future of Hedging and the Chimerica Choice for Southeast Asia

Can Southeast Asian countries keep hedging between the United States and China? Benjamin Ho, assistant professor and coordinator of the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, argues that domestic myths will play an increasingly important role in states' foreign policy choices and their view of the international order.

In his recent talk, hosted by APARC's Southeast Asia Program, Ho analyzes how Southeast Asian countries' choices offer clues into the future of the international order and whether hedging remains a viable strategy. Watch his presentation, now available on our YouTube channel ⏬️

In recent years, questions have been posed regarding the durability...

10/29/2026

“It is not an exaggeration to say that our collective future depends on it.”

In her keynote, as she received the 2026 Shorenstein Journalism Award, Singapore-based investigative journalist Shibani Mahtani described Asia as a region where news outlets have been shut down or pushed into exile, and donor funding for independent journalism is drying up.

Amid mounting authoritarian pressure and as Western newsrooms retreat, far fewer outlets are left to tell universal, human stories from Asia and hold power to account, she said.

Journalist Anna Fifield and Rice University political scientist Oren Samet joined her in a panel moderated by Stanford’s Jay Hamilton. Get the full story at the link in the comments.

10/28/2026

📣 Applications for APARC’s postdoctoral fellowships are now open through December 1, 2026! Today, we’re featuring the 2027-2028 STINT-SNAPL Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Jointly with the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL) at APARC offers one fellowship position to a recent PhD recipient, focused on scientific policy and the internationalization of higher education and research in the Asia-Pacific, with preference given to projects that directly or indirectly engage with Swedish perspectives.

The appointment begins in fall quarter 2027 and is for one year, with a possibility of extension contingent on satisfactory performance and funding.

🔗 Follow the link in the comments for information about eligibility and the application process.

10/26/2026

🏆 Congratulations to the winning teams of the 2026 Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue Student Innovation Showcase, held on Sunday, October 25, at Singapore Management University!

🔸First place ($3,000)
Tran Tin Dung and Huynh Ngoc Ngan, Foreign Trade University (Trường Đại học Ngoại thương - FTU Times) - Ho Chi Minh City Branch: Sen Bao

🔸Second place ($2,000 per team)
- Lê Nhật Huy and Phạm Lê Thanh An, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (Trường Đại học Bách khoa - ĐH Quốc gia TP.HCM): Ecoval
- Terry Phua Cheng Hong, Singapore Management University: ReRoot

🔸Third place ($1,000 per team)
- Jun Chen, HKUST Guangzhou: Campus Flex
- Reo Owatari and Zhang Yixuan, Kyoto University: Nutrient Loop Kyoto
- Gayeong Tae, 연세대학교 - Yonsei University: Still Useful

Fifteen student teams from across Asia and Stanford pitched interdisciplinary, integrative design solutions to advance Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, while competing for the Ban Ki-moon Youth Award.

The Dialogue is a joint initiative of APARC and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future 보다 나은 미래를 위한 반기문 재단. Our thanks to the Dialogue's co-host, Singapore Management University, and co-sponsors: Asian Development Bank's Energy Sector Cluster, ERIA: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, SMU's Urban Institute, Sino Group, and our Stanford colleagues: Center on Sustainability in Southeast Asia at the Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford School of Engineering's Center for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness, and the Natural Capital Alliance.

Learn more about this year's Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue: https://stanford.io/4zJtgz8

10/21/2026

If you're in Singapore, please join us for the fifth annual Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue, which will explore pathways to accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12): Responsible consumption and production patterns > https://stanford.io/4zJtgz8

🔸 Sunday, October 25: Student Innovation Showcase – Held at Singapore Management University
🔸 Monday, October 26: World Leaders Session and Plenaries – Held at Shangri-La Singapore

On Day 1, the showcase will feature student teams from across Asia and Stanford pitching interdisciplinary, integrative design solutions to advance SDG 12, with awards presented to the winning teams.

On Day 2, the plenaries will feature leaders from government, the public and private sectors, and academia on topics including powering the region's energy transition through technology and trade; managing critical minerals and regional security; governing sustainable AI; transforming the circular economy and material innovation; urban consumption and climate resilience; and more.

The Dialogue is a joint initiative of APARC and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future 보다 나은 미래를 위한 반기문 재단. We are grateful to our co-host, Singapore Management University, and the dialogue's co-sponsors: Asian Development Bank's Energy Sector Cluster, ERIA: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, SMU's Urban Institute, Sino Group, and our Stanford colleagues: Center on Sustainability in Southeast Asia at the Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford School of Engineering's Center for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness, and the Natural Capital Alliance.

Register and join us in Singapore > RSVP link in the comments.

10/20/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Shibani Mahtani, winner of the 2026 Shorenstein Journalism Award!

APARC is delighted to recognize Shibani for her original and powerful reporting on Asia and accountability-driven investigations that have followed power across borders.

As the award judging committee put it: “Shibani has broken stories that others would not, or could not, report.”

📸 Kiyoteru Tsutsui, APARC director, and Jay Hamilton, Stanford’s vice provost for undergraduate education, Hearst Professor of Communication, and Director of the Journalism Program, present Shibani with the Shorenstein Award.

Photo credit: Rod Searcey.

10/15/2026

❗ Applications are now open for multiple fellowship and visiting scholar positions offered by APARC and our programs. This week, we're featuring the 2027-2029 Next Asia Policy Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL).

The fellowship offers two positions for recent PhD recipients for research on any of the lab's four tracks: Talent Flows and Development, Nationalism and Racism, U.S.-Asia Relations, and Democratic Crisis and Reform.

Two-year appointments begin in fall quarter 2027 and may be extended contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. Applications are due by December 1, 2026.

🔗 Follow the link in the comments for information about eligibility and the application process.

10/13/2026

The Thai monarchy has used political gatekeeping to constrain democracy since the youth-led “orange wave” of 2020, explains Pavin Chachavalpongpun. He points to the blocking of Pita Limjaroenrat - พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์'s bid to become prime minister after the Move Forward Party finished first in Thailand’s May 2023 elections.

Watch Chachavalpongpun's full discussion, in which he traces the monarchy’s power consolidation in recent years – link in the comments.

10/13/2026

🏆 NEXT WEEK: 2026 Shorenstein Journalism Award Honors Singapore-Based Investigative Journalist Shibani Mahtani > https://stanford.io/4rIvtZd

🗓️ Tuesday, October 20, 12-1:30 p.m. PT
📍 Bechtel Conference Center, Stanford University
✅ Join us > https://forms.gle/v2MkUUYLw1MsALmWA

Hear foreign correspondent and author Shibani Mahtani, winner of our 2026 Shorenstein Journalism Award, discuss how a diminished media environment in Southeast Asia has impacted regional democracy at a time of seismic global instability and consider the challenges of navigating this reality, in conversation with:

- Anna Fifield, New Zealand Journalist and Foreign Affairs Analyst, Former Asia Editor for the Washington Post, Winner of the 2018 Shorenstein Journalism Award
- Oren Samet, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Rice University
- James Hamilton (Panel Chair), Freeman-Thornton Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Hearst Professor of Communication, and Director of the Stanford Journalism Program

10/12/2026

Upcoming seminar: October 14, 12-1:15 PM PT | The Rise and Future of the Korean Semiconductor Memory Industry.

Hear from C. S. Park, former Chairman and CEO of Hynix Semiconductor (now SK hynix), as he explores how South Korea built a globally competitive semiconductor memory industry, navigated intense industry competition and consolidation, survived historical boom-and-bust cycles, and emerged as a crucial player in the AI era.

Park will discuss how South Korean firms overcame initial technological, financial, and human capital constraints to transform a historically low-margin commodity memory business into the highly profitable High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) products required for AI. He will also consider the future trajectory of Korea’s memory industry and issues such as the growing semiconductor ecosystem, the rise of Chinese memory makers, engineering talent, demand cyclicality, stock volatility, socio-economic impact, and geopolitics as the global AI industry continues to evolve.

🔗 Join us > RSVP at the link in the comments.

The Rise and Future of the Korean Semiconductor Memory Industry: Perspectives and Insights from 1983 to 2026 and Beyond Breadcrumb All Shorenstein APARC Events Seminars The Rise and Future of the Korean Semiconductor Memory Industry: Perspectives and Insights from 1983 to 2026 and Beyond Wednesday,....