A very warm welcome to friends and colleagues ready to take part in the 4th Asian Population Association (APA) Conference, to be held on July 11-14, 2018 at Shanghai University, China.

Shanghai, literally meaning “on the sea”, is an outstanding location for the population conference.  In addition to its impressive modernization including new skyscrapers, Shanghai provides a unique and perfect blend of cultures, the modern and the traditional, and the Western and Oriental. It is also one of the most populated cities in the world, with a permanent resident population of 25 million, of which nearly 10 million are immigrants. There are also additional millions of migrant workers in the municipality.

The APA is delighted to have received an enthusiastic response to its call for submission of abstracts. The Scientific Committee has been working diligently on the 1,830 abstracts from more than 45 countries. The 4th APA Conference will cover a wide variety of areas in population studies including fertility, mortality, marriage, aging, sexuality, reproductive health, environment, education, migration, and labor force. Methodology and the quality of data will also be explored. The Conference will be composed of plenary and special sessions, presentations, poster sessions, and pre-/post side meetings.

The Asian Demographic Research Institute (ADRI) at Shanghai University, together with the China Population Association, Shanghai Population Association, China Population and Development Research Center, Fudan University, East China Normal University, Shanghai Academy of Social Science, and Shanghai Academy joined forces to organize this Conference. Without the hard work of the Local Organizing Committee led by Professor Leiwen Jiang and financial support from Shanghai University, the Conference would not have been possible. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the members of the Local Organizing Committee. 

I am sure the presentations, posters, discussions, and exchange of ideas, together with all the efforts of the Scientific Committee, will contribute to the advancement of Asian demography and make the 4th APA Conference a big success. My special gratitude is extended to Professor Sureeporn Punpuing, chair of the Scientific Committee, the Council members, the Secretariat, and voluntary reviewers of the abstracts for their determination and hard work. Finally, but most importantly, I would like to thank those who devoted a considerable amount of time and effort preparing and revising their abstract and paper.

I look forward to seeing you in Shanghai this coming July.