On 11 April 2018, the 5^th South China Sea Sub-forum of Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018 was held in Boao, Hainan. Themed as “21st Century Maritime Silk Road and Economic Cooperation of the Greater South China Sea”, it was co-organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) and China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea (CSARC). It brought together nearly one hundred eminent scholars and practitioners from various government agencies, think tanks, research institutes and maritime industries of both littoral countries of the South China Sea and extra-regional nations including China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, India, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The open-door session of the sub-forum was chaired by Ms. Fu Ying, Chair of Academic Committee of the National Institute for Global Strategy of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Mr. Yi Xianliang, Director-General of Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. Panel speakers include NISCSS President Wu Shicun; Jusuf Wanandi, co-founder and senior fellow of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia; Zheng Yongnian, director of East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore; Oh Ei Sun, senior advisor of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute of Malaysia and former political secretary of Malaysian Prime Minister; and Paul Gewirtz, Director of Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, among others.

President Wu Shicun stated in his speech that although the stability of the South China Sea has largely held over recent years, uncertainties and variables that could lead to a resumption of regional tensions still remain. The consultation and negotiation of the code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea is making progress in building a set of regional rules accepted by all littoral states; while an economic cooperation framework of the greater South China Sea is also needed to foster stronger bonds among regional countries and their common development and prosperity. Parallel measures of rule-making and building cooperative mechanisms will also be conducive to achieve lasting peace of the South China Sea and to establish a China-ASEAN community of shared interests, shared responsibilities and a shared future.

As an institutionalized session of BFA annual conference, the South China Sea Sub-forum is designed to be a high-profile multilateral dialogue platform to pool wisdom and provide constructive ideas to enhance regional peace, stability, prosperity and maritime cooperation of the South China Sea.