Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference

Name: Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference
Start: 2025-06-17T14:00:00
End: 2025-06-17T20:00:00
Location: Center for Strategic and International Studies

June 17, 2025 • 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT

Brought to you by

Southeast Asia Program , Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative

The CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative are pleased to present the Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference. This full-day conference will provide opportunities for in-depth discussion and analysis of developments in the South China Sea over the past year and potential paths forward. Panels will address the state of play in the South China Sea, legal developments and dispute management, evolving alliance networks, and the role of outside parties, such as India, South Korea, and Europe.

In-person attendance for this event is at capacity. We invite you to watch the live webcast through this page. Credentialed members of the media will receive instructions as part of confirmation issued by the Office of External Relations.

Event Agenda

9:30 am

Check-In and Coffee

10:00 am

Panel 1: State of Play in the South China Sea

Moderated by Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS

Harrison Prétat, Deputy Director and Fellow, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS
Krista Weigand, Director, Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs, University of Tennessee
Phuong Thao Nguyen, PhD Candidate, School of International Public Policy, Osaka University
Hoo Chiew Ping, Senior Fellow, East Asian International Relations Caucus, Malaysia

11:10 am

Panel 2: Legal Developments and Dispute Management

Moderated by Andreyka Natalegawa, Associate Fellow, Southeast Asia Program, CSIS

Isaac Kardon, Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Jacqueline Espenilla, Senior Fellow, Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, University of the Philippines
Liu Xiaobo, Director, Center for Marine Studies, Grandview Institute, China
Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Director of the Center for International Law, East Sea (South China Sea) Institute, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam

12:30 pm

Panel 3: Evolving Alliance Networks

Moderated by Kristi Govella, Japan Chair, CSIS

Kotani Tetsuo, Senior Fellow, Japan Institute of International Affairs
Dianne Despi, PhD Candidate, University of Delaware
John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University
Kathryn Paik, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Australia Chair, CSIS

1:40 pm

Keynote | Admiral Stephen “Web” Koehler, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Moderated by Gregory Poling, Senior Fellow & Director, Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative

2:55 pm

Panel 4: The Role of Outside Parties

Moderated by Max Bergmann, Director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, CSIS

Mateusz Chatys, Centre for Asian Affairs, University of Lodz, Poland
Wongi Choe, Head of the Center for ASEAN-India Studies, Korea National Diplomatic Academy
Pooja Bhatt, Associate Professor, Jindal School of International Affairs, India; Stimson South Asia Visiting Fellow 2025
Jonathan Berkshire-Miller, Co-Founder and Principal, Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory and Senior Fellow, Macdonald Laurier Institute, Canada

3:55 pm

Closing Remarks and End

This event was made possible by support from the FESS Foundation, the Embassy of Australia, the Embassy of Japan, the Embassy of New Zealand, and the Embassy of the Philippines.