On 22 July 2016, NISCSS President Wu Shicun was elected chairman of board of directors of China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea (CSARC) at the first meeting of board of directors of the CSARC in Singapore, which was attended by scholars and experts from think tanks of China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines and other countries.

The participants discussed the research scope, mechanism building, future development and prospective cooperation relating to the CSARC. Mr. Jusuf Wanandi, vice chairman of CSIS Indonesia, was elected vice chairman of board of directors of the CSARC.

The CSARC was initiated by the NISCSS in March 2016 in Hainan Province and incorporates influential think tanks in Southeast Asia such as the CSIS Indonesia. Based in China and facing Southeast Asia, the CSARC will engage in global outreach and set a new paradigm for regional maritime studies. The CSARC will invite eminent scholars in South China Sea studies from China and other countries to serve as research fellows. It will also strengthen academic links with counterparts through international conferences and academic visits. It will convey peaceful and rational voices to the international community. It will convey the common vision of regional countries to maintain peace and stability and create a favorable and harmonious international environment for China and ASEAN countries to conduct maritime cooperation.

This meeting marked the official functioning of the CSARC.