On 24 January 2016, the Symposium on the Historic Rights and the South China Sea Arbitration was held in Haikou, bringing together over 20 experts and scholars from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese State Oceanic Administration, the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Xiamen University, Taiwan Chengchi University, Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan Nanhua University and Shandong University. The participants conducted in-depth discussions on the general doctrine of historic rights in public international law, the state practice of historic rights, the historic rights in China-Philippine arbitration case and other relevant cases in international law.