Mr. Wang Sheng graduated from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, with a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics in English. He is a graduate student supervisor, a Specially-appointed Professor, and a senior Chinese foreign affairs professional. He is currently President of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS). He has studied at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Duke University in the United States, and Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

For over 20 years, Mr. Wang’s career has been devoted to foreign affairs and South China Sea research. He has immersed himself in a variety of research fields including international relations and regional security strategy, China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea, island development, and the Hainan Free Trade Port. Author of over one hundred academic papers and a dozen volumes, his publications include “Non-traditional Security and South China Sea Regional Development”, “Suggestions on the Regular Maintenance of Fishing Rights in the South China Sea”, “A Few Thoughts on Addressing the Nansha Islands Dispute”, “A Study of the Philippine’s Claim to Islands and Reefs in the South China Sea in View of Presidential Decree No.1596”, “A Few Thoughts on Trends in U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea and Hainan’s Active Cooperation with the Central Government in Response”, “Hainan’s Exploration and Practices in the Service of China’s Neighborhood Diplomacy”, “Lessons for Hainan from the Development of Pan-Caribbean Cruise Tourism”, “Launching the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Islands Economic Cooperation Forum and Building a Community with a Shared Future for Islands Worldwide”, “Building the Boao Forum for Asia into an Intellectual Showcase for the Vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”, “Public Diplomacy in Hainan Province: Exploration and Practices”, “Building International Cooperation in Joint Response to the Pandemic”, “Leveraging the Boao Forum for Asia to Build an Intellectual Showcase for Outcomes of the Vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”, “Realizing the Vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Promoting Hainan’s Opening-up in the New Era”, “Development of Free Trade Zones and Ports: Experiences and Inspiration” as well as the Annual Report on Global Islands, Practical Chinese-English Handbook for Translation, An English Primer for Civil Servants, and the Book Series Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Hainan’s Engagement in the Boao Forum for Asia.

For many years, Mr. Wang has worked on the front-line for China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea, and for the stability of that sea, promoting exchange and cooperation with the countries and regions surrounding it. He has helped Hainan to establish 65 sisterhood relationships with regions and cities overseas, including nine with cities in countries surrounding the South China Sea, and contributed to more than 50 international cooperation projects in Hainan. He has also participated in and resolved a number of disputes, incidents and cases related to the South China Sea. In recent years, he has delivered over 40 well-received speeches and presentations on topics including “South China Sea Cooperation” and “The Belt and Road Initiative & Hainan’s Development” at the Boao Forum for Asia, the China Reform and Development Forum, Foreign Affairs Offices in Shanghai, Yunnan and Guizhou, Hainan Provincial Party School, Hainan Provincial Administration Bureau for Industry and Commerce, Hainan Provincial Federation of Social Sciences, Hainan University, Hainan Normal University, Hainan Medical University, Hainan College of Foreign Studies, the China Institute for Reform and Development, Hainan Development Holdings Limited and Hainan Free Trade Port Lecture Hall, and in cities and counties in Hainan such as Haikou, Sanya, Wenchang, Lingshui, and Baisha.

Committed to serving and fully leveraging the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), Mr. Wang has worked hard on the front-line for the BFA for 23 years, making an outstanding contribution to the BFA’s inception and development, and to the launch of its platforms for opening-up and international cooperation such as the “China-ASEAN Governors/Mayors Dialogue”, the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road Islands Economic Cooperation Forum”, the “Free Trade Ports: The Global Trend” Session, the “Path Towards SDG 2030: Poverty Reduction and Rural Sustainable Development” Session, the “BFA Global Tourism Forum” and the “BFA South China Sea Sub-forum”. Mr. Wang is editor-in-chief of the Book Series Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Hainan’s Engagement in the Boao Forum for Asia and, through his involvement in the preparation and design of the BFA Theme Park, made a further contribution to the understanding of the BFA’s history among the people of Asia and the world. In June 2021, BFA Secretary-General Li Baodong presented Mr. Wang a BFA Certificate of Appreciation, stating that “On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Boao Forum for Asia, we highly acknowledge and commend your immense contribution and dedication to the inception and development of the Forum.”