On 20 April 2021, National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) and China Oceanic Development Foundation (CODF) held the press conference of the First “A Journey into the South China Sea: Focus on the Ocean, Explore the Sea” Summer Camp for College Students in Bo’ao, Hainan. Mr. Wang Bin (Vice Governor of Hainan Province), Mr. Yang Renhuo (Representative for Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and Mr. Wang Haiyu (Standing Committee Member of the CPC Sansha Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor), attended the conference. More than 100 guests from the South China Sea Sub-forum of Bo’ao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 and 15 domestic mainstream media including Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, CCTV, Hainan Daily and Sansha Satellite TV were also invited to the conference. Dr. Wu Shicun, President of NISCSS, and Mr. Pan Xinchun, Vice President and Secretary-General of CODF, introduced the purpose, preparations and main content of the summer camp to the guests and media reporters.

Dr. Wu Shicun stated that the 18th National Congress of the CPC formally proposed the “Maritime Power Strategy”, civil forces and social organizations have organized various marine cultural activities to improve college students’ maritime awareness and behavioral consciousness. These efforts are not only conducive for China to building a maritime power, but also helpful for the creation of a social climate of “caring for the ocean and devotion to the maritime career”.

Dr. Wu Shicun pointed out that current global ocean governance has entered a new era characterized by rule-making, power distribution and order change. The competition among maritime powers is accelerating around the construction of maritime order and control of maritime space. China has a long coastline, but unfavorable maritime geography is also obvious. China also faces  disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Especially in the South China Sea, the challenges are even more severe. Quite a few islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands have long been illegally occupied by some neighboring countries.

Dr. Wu Shicun added that under the new situation, the challenges and tasks faced by China in persevering interests concerning maritime sovereignty, security and development, have put forward newer and higher requirements for China, to upgrade both hard power in safeguarding maritime rights and soft power in ocean governance, as well as to focus on the education and reserve of high-level talents. This also means that China’s thirst for and reliance on marine talents will run through the entire historical process of building China into a maritime power.

Mr. Pan Xinchun said that the ocean is related to China’s sovereignty, security and development interests. Hainan Province, which is authorized to administrate the vast South China Sea, has a great demand for marine talents, especially with the advancement of “Maritime Power Strategy” and Hainan Free Trade Port construction. CODF will continue to maximize its unique advantage to make due contributions to safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the South China Sea and to help build Hainan into a strong maritime province.

Ms. Gu Yuwei, a student from Hainan University, said in her speech that the summer camp will further inspire contemporary college students’ understanding and passion over the South China Sea, as well as help to establish a patriotic concept of safeguarding China’s maritime rights and interests. She is also looking forward to meeting more young friends through the colorful summer camp activities.

There are two characteristics concerning the summer camp. First, it focuses on the South China Sea with the goal of popularizing marine knowledge and training talents. Throughout the summer camp, the organizers will hold the preliminary and semifinals of the marine knowledge competition by using the online examination platform (ATA). The selected winners will participate in a series of marine themed lectures in Haikou, Qionghai and Sanya, etc., make a field trip to fishing ports and villages, visit marine related functional departments and research institutes, and go to South China Sea islands to experience life there. Before and after the closing ceremony of summer camp, campers will participate in the South China Sea themed video contest and “The South China Sea and I” themed essay competition. The winners will be selected into the “Marine Talent Cultivation Plan” of NISCSS.

Second, it makes full use of advantages of NISCSS as a research base for South China Sea issue and a national marine awareness education base. The organizers try to combine lectures, seminars, field research, interviews together to improve the practical effect of summer camp activities.

At the press conference, Dr. Wu Shicun and Mr. Pan Xinchun also answered questions from the social media and participants regarding the social support for Hainan’s development of high-quality maritime economy, training of marine talents, cooperation on key projects such as “Symposium on Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance”, “Oral History of the South China Sea” and “Workshop on International Law of the Sea and Maritime Dispute Resolution”, etc.