The 11th South China Sea International Conference: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development
The 11th International Conference on the South China Sea hosted by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), the Foundation for East Sea Studies (FESS) and the Vietnam Lawyers’ Association (VLA) took place in Ha Noi on 6-7 November, 2019.

Below is the detailed programme of the Conference with video for each session and links to panelists' presenations:
OPENING SESSION | |
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SESSION 1 (Plenary): South China Sea State of Affairs: Threats, Risks and Opportunities Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Vu Tung, President of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam |
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This session is designed to identify threats, risks and opportunities in the South China Sea in relation to regional peace and stability. Particularly, it is aimed at assessing behavior and activities of all parties concerned during the past year and how they would affect inter-state relations and strategic seascape in the waterway of strategic importance. The key question for the panel is whether the South China Sea state of affairs has improved or worsened, and which have been the key factors that have influenced the developments on the ground.
Speakers:
Discussant: Dr. Bill Hayton, Associate Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House, UK |
SESSION 2 (Plenary): South China Sea in Competing Visions Moderator: Prof. Zhiyong Hu, Director, Institute of International Relations, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China |
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The session is tasked with examining the importance of the South China Sea in major players’ grand strategies or regional visions in a way to mapping out how SCS is connected with their security and economic prosperity. Also, it is important to map out the differences and similarities in their interests in and approaches to the South China Sea to better understand the nature of their cooperation and competition over relevant issues at this moment and time to come. The panelists are requested to examine the South China Sea from the perspectives of their countries’ policies and strategies, either Belt and Road Initiative or Free and Open Indo-Pacific, or their respective regional policies.
Speakers:
Discussant: Dr. Le Dinh Tinh, Acting Director General, Institute of Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam |
SPECIAL SESSION: 25 Years of the Law of the Sea Convention Panel: Quarter Century of Sea Charter |
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This session is designed a grand celebration of the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which has been the bedrock of the rules-based order at sea over the last 25 years. It convenes a number of leading experts to examine the rise and relevance of the legal framework which has been considered as the Constitution of the Ocean. The panelists are requested to have a look back on how UNCLOS was negotiated and agreed upon and assess the efficiency of the convention over the last quarter of the century. The central question for all panelists is whether UNCLOS 1982 are still fit for the present maritime domain, and whether it should be renegotiated partly or wholly to accommodate new strategic seascape.
Speakers:
Discussant: Prof. Robert Beckman, Director, the Center for International Law, The National University of Singapore, Singapore |
SESSION 4 (Plenary): South China Sea in Multilateral Forums Moderator: Prof. Leszek Buszynski, Visiting Fellow, the Strategic & Defence Studies Center (SDSC), Australian National University, Australia |
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This panel reviews how the South China Sea has been raised and discussed in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN, ASEAN+ 1, ADMM+, ASEAN Regional Forum, East Asia Summit, Non-aligned Movements… Based on that, the panelists will examine how these multilateral settings have helped restrain different parties’ behavior, provide a conducive environment and mechanisms to foster the management and resolution of the existing disputes. It is also tasked with assessing how ASEAN-China talks on the COC and implementation of the DOC have progressed, and which obstacles have remained
Speakers:
Discussant: Prof. David Capie, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand |
DAY 2 Thursday - November 8, 2018 |
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Concurrent Roundtables on Fixing Technicalities Of Maritime Cooperation
The three roundtables convene leading scholars and policy practitioners to discuss practical measures to avoid incidents, build up confidence and foster functional cooperation to preserve and grow fish stocks and conserve marine ecology and environment. It should be noted that these areas have been discussed extensively in both Track I and Track II forums, however the progress remained modest. Most achievements are confined to seminars and conferences while actual cooperation among maritime actors is limited. Therefore, panelists are tasked with discussing the stumbling blocks and proposing mechanisms and course of actions necessary to overcome them.
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ROUNDTABLE 1: Reducing Grey Areas for Better Management Moderator: Prof. James Kraska, Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law, U.S. Naval War College, USA |
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ROUNDTABLE 2: Preserving Fish Stock For Next Generations Moderator: Dr. Lei Xiaolu, China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, Wuhan University, China |
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ROUNDTABLE 3: Saving the Ocean from Pollution Moderator: Dr. Do Thanh Hai, Assistant Director General, East Sea (South China Sea) Institute, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam |
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Concurrent Roundtables on Areas beyond the South China Sea
This session looks into the broader geopolitical arena of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to trace down how issues and problems facing other maritime domains, particularly the East China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and two polar regions, the Arctic and Antarctica. It also explores how geopolitical and geo-economic developments in these regions have interplayed with each other, and how the games and rules have been played out. It is clearly critical to understand how maritime politics influenced those on land and on the diplomatic and strategic thinking.
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ROUNDTABLE 4: Contests In East China Sea Moderator: Prof. Carl Thayer, University of New South Wales, Australia |
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ROUNDTABLE 5: The Indian and Pacific: The Convergence of two Oceans Moderator: Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, Director General, East Sea (South China Sea) Institute, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Vietnam |
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ROUNDTABLE 6: Polar Regions: New Frontiers Moderator: Prof. David Capie, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies |
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SESSION 7 (Concluding Plenary 1): Incident Prevention and Confidence Building Moderator: Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam (TBC) |
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The panel is set up to brief the outcomes of three concurrent roundtables in Session 5 and discuss the feasibility of different ideas and proposals.
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SESSION 8 (Concluding Plenary 2): Strengthening Foundation for Peace and Rules-Based Order Moderator: Ambassador Le Cong Phung, Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam (TBC) |
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The panel is set up to brief the outcomes of three concurrent roundtables in Session 6 and discuss the feasibility of different ideas and proposals to consolidate the foundation for lasting peace and stability in the broader region of Indo-Pacific.
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