On December 5, 2017, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) hosted the 4th China-Korea Maritime Cooperation Forum in Haikou, China, in collaboration with Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy (KIMS) and the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies of Wuhan University (CIBOS).

The forum focused on a series of topics of mutual concern, including maritime security and regional flash-point issues, maritime delimitation and resource management, cooperation and coordination on deep sea and Arctic issues, and policy recommendations for enhancing institutional maritime cooperation and mutual trust.

Present at the forum are around 60 experts and scholars from various ocean-related agencies, think tanks and research institutes of both China and the Republic of Korea, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, China Institute of International Studies, China Institute for International Strategic Studies, Fudan University, China University of Political Science and Law, Xiamen University, Ocean University of China, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Korea Maritime Institute, and Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

As an institutionalized mechanism under the cooperative framework between the NISCSS and KIMS, the China-Korea Maritime Cooperation Forum has been playing a positive role in enhancing China-Korea policy interactions, maritime cooperation and the management of differences.