This is an excerpt of the the article, which was first published in Stanford News. You can read the whole article here.

A Stanford-led study in China has revealed for the first time high levels of a potentially fatal tapeworm infection among school-age children. The researchers suggest solutions that could reduce infections in this sensitive age range and possibly improve education outcomes and reduce poverty.

The study, published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, focuses on Taenia solium, a tapeworm that infects millions of impoverished people worldwide and can cause a disorder of the central nervous system called neurocysticercosis. The World Health Organization estimates that the infection is one of the leading causes of epilepsy in the developing world and results in 29 percent of epilepsy cases in endemic areas. It is thought to affect about 7 million people in China alone.

The recent developments in North Korea's summit diplomacy and the feasibility of CVID (complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement) of the nuclear program have received unprecedented responses, both optimistic and pessimistic, from the international community.

Please stay tuned to this page for APARC researchers' commentary and analysis on the CVID of the North Korean nuclear program through articles published in various news media.

Latest Commentaries:

How to Keep the Ball Rolling on North Korean Negotiations (East Asia Forum, May 2, 2019)

Why Walking Away from Kim's Deal May Have Been the Right Move (Axios, February 28, 2019)

Success of Second Trump-Kim Summit Will Lie in the Details (Axios, February 26, 2019)

The Second Trump-Kim Summit Must Settle the Big Questions (The National Interest, February 19, 2019)

Normalising, Not Denuclearising, North Korea (East Asia Forum, October 3, 2018)

Moon-Kim Summit in Pyongyang Was Promising, But No Game Changer (Axios.com, September 19, 2018)

Towards Normality: What's Next with North Korea? (East Asia Forum Quarterly, September 2018)

The Singapore Summit Empowers South Korean Chaebols (The New Republic, June 26, 2018)

Korean Elections Give Moon Momentum, But Could Shift U.S. Alliance (Axios, June 14, 2018)

Despite Lack of Plan, North Korea Denuclearization Could Still Happen (Axios, June 12, 2018)

Ambassador Kathleen Stephens shares reactions following the Trump-Kim summit, including her thoughts on President Trump's pledge to cancel military exercises on the Korean Peninsula (KQED's Forum, 06/12/18)

With North Korea, Let's Not Forget the Big Picture (The Diplomat, June 8, 2018)

"[T]he mere prospect of the June summit has already enhanced Kim's status on the international stage," observes APARC Director Gi-Wook Shin, Trump needs leadership and allies to salvage the North Korea summit (Axios, May 25, 2018)

Stanford Scholars Discuss Diplomacy’s Future after U.S.-North Korea Summit Is Canceled (May 24, 2018)

Dan Sneider understands Japanese skepticism of North Korea's conversion to disarmament in Japan, China and South Korea Get Together (The Economist, May 10, 2018)

Future of U.S. troops in South Korea uncertian (Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2018)

Related articles:

A new start or a rerun on the Korean Peninsula? (East Asia Forum, May 6, 2018)

Stanford Panel Discusses North-South Summit and What Happens Next (APARC News, April 28, 2018)

North Korea Summit Diplomacy (The Diplomat, March 30, 2018)

Moon's Bet on the Olympics: What Comes Next? (East Asia Forum, February 18, 2018)

On April 5th, 2018, the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center held its annual Oksenberg Conference, honoring the legacy of Professor Michel Oksenberg.

This year’s conference was organized around the publication of Zouping Revisited: Adaptive Governance in a Chinese County.

Jean Oi, director of the China Program at APARC and co-editor of Zouping Revisited, talked with the Stanford News Service about Zouping and what it tells us about China and international relations. Read the conversation >>

On March 23, SCPKU hosted a lecture and discussion on “President Trump: The Future of US Foreign Policy and America’s Role in the World” featuring Anja Manuel, co-founder and partner of the US-based international consulting firm RiceHadleyGates LLC, lecturer in Stanford’s International Policy Studies Program, and author.  The lively session was moderated by Wang Dong, Peking University Professor in the School of International Studies and Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Strategic Studies.  The event drew an audience of over 100 people representing the Chinese academic community, think tanks, the business and government sectors, and the Stanford alumni community.  

Manuel opened her talk by outlining a number of factors contributing to Trump’s flip-flopping on many foreign policy issues and the unprecedented turnover within his administration during his first year in office.  She asserted that Trump, a business leader and pragmatist, is the first US President not solidly wedded to the post-World War II international order that the US worked to create and uphold.  Furthermore, while he has men on his side providing sound and independent advice, he also has people in his inner circle working against each other.  “Even when things are moving really smoothly, it’s very difficult to have an effective White House policy,” she observed. “So this constant infighting makes it even tougher.” 

Manuel also commented on some of the key trends and challenges facing Trump’s administration including instability in the Middle East, Russia’s aggressive policies, the rise of superpowers China and India, and increased nativism in the US and Europe. She highlighted Russian President Putin’s strategy of sowing seeds of instability in the West to offset weakness at home including the rise of oil prices and decreasing life expectancy.  China and India, she also observed, have already had a profound impact on the world.  Within 12 years, these two countries will house 40% of the world’s middle class compared to the U.S. and Europe who, together, will have only 20%.  “No matter what our president says,” she argued, “in order to prosper, we have to do business together.” At the same time, she encouraged the two countries to step up and take more responsibility for the global order.  Manuel cited China’s leadership role in the United Nations’ humanitarian aid efforts as a prime example. She also touched on the United States’ and Europe’s moves to extreme protectionism because of pressure from core constituencies left behind after a decade of open borders and increased globalization and trade.  The US and Europe, Manuel asserted, need to renew their own systems to reverse what she hopes is a temporary “defensive crouch.”

Finally, Manuel dived deeper into U.S.-China relations, a key focus for her during the last decade.  She sees growing frustrations on both sides and increased finger pointing on sensitive issues including unemployment, trade imbalances, fair market access, and theft of cyber secrets.  “Even American constituents most positive toward US-China relations feel a bit taken advantage of, and these issues are well within the Chinese government’s power to get right,” she argued. In closing, Manuel expressed optimism that the US and China can find a new way to get along and recognize mutual benefits in doing so.  “It makes sense for both great powers to work together on our biggest issues including trade, climate change, and terrorism; don’t let a temporary blip in populism get in the way,” she challenged.

Anja Manuel and Wang Dong field questions from the audience after Manuel's lecture, March 23, 2018.

Anja Manuel and Wang Dong field questions from the audience after Manuel's lecture, March 23, 2018.
Photo credit:  Stanford University

"Moon's proposal of a trilateral summit between the two Koreas and the United States, undermining China's influence, turned out to be nothing more than a pipe dream," said researchers at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center in a recently published article. "The series of summits that began with Kim's visit to Beijing should lead to Four Party Talks — involving the two Koreas, the United States, and China."

The full article in The Diplomat is available here.