The mission of the China Program at Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) is to facilitate multidisciplinary, social science-oriented research on contemporary China, with a dual emphasis on basic and policy-relevant research. We are also committed to preparing Stanford students for broader and deeper interactions with China. Through this combined focus on research and teaching, we aim to influence current and future generations of leaders in their disciplines to engage with China with nuance, depth, and understanding. The aim of the China Program is to provide empirically-driven research and fact-based inquiry into contemporary China and U.S.-China relations.

To this end, we conduct collaborative research with scholars and experts from across China and North America; provide education and training opportunities to students and emerging scholars; share our research findings and policy recommendations in academic and general-interest publications; and convene academic and public forums on pressing China-related issues.

Established in 2007 under the directorship of Professor Jean Oi, the China Program was tasked with leading Stanford’s initiative to strengthen its contemporary China offerings on campus and expand its research and educational opportunities in China. As part of this effort, Professor Oi also spearheaded the creation of the Stanford Center at Peking University (SCPKU), which serves as a platform in China for the Stanford community and as a bridge of research and engagement on both sides of the Pacific. We leverage the unique opportunities at SCPKU to advance Stanford as a premier U.S. hub for the study of contemporary China.

The China Program is one of several research programs housed at Shorenstein APARC in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Learn more about our history in coverage of our tenth anniversary.