On 16-17 January 2018, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) hosted the 6th Round of U.S.-China Track II Dialogue on Maritime Affairs and International Law in Sanya, Hainan Province, China. Co-organizers include the National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR) and the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS).

This round of closed-door dialogue was co-chaired by Wu Shicun, President of NISCSS, and Stephen Orlins, President of NCUSCR. Present at the Dialogue were more than 30 experts and scholars from various think tanks, research institutes, universities and government agencies. The discussion focused on a series of maritime issues of common interests between China and the United States, such as the implication of the newly-resurrected “Indo-Pacific” strategy and the status quo of maritime affairs in the Asia Pacific, the gap in interpreting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and new development of maritime related International law, as well as China-U.S. cooperation on military maritime security.

Initiated by the NISCSS and the NCUSCR jointly in October 2014, this dialogue aims to provide an institutionalized platform for maritime policy communication between China and the United States.