From 18 to 19 August 2018, a NISCSS delegation led by President Wu Shicun attended the 2018 Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA) Conference in Sydney, Australia.

The conference was co-organized by the NISCSS, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) and Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) of University of Wollongong. Themed “Area-based Marine Protection in the Asia-Pacific”, the conference brought together more than 30 scholars from across the world, including participants from China, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan. In-depth discussions were held on topics such as state practice of marine conservation in various regions, relationship between marine conservation and sustainable development, regional sea regimes and marine management tools, legal framework for area-based protection within and beyond national jurisdiction, environmental protection in the high seas and the international seabed area, and area-based management initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Initiated in 2013 by scholars from China, South Korea and Australia, APOLIA is an academic organization focusing on the studies of ocean law and policy in the Asia-Pacific region. A series of academic works and journals were published under its name.