Twelfth Annual South China Sea Conference

The CSIS Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative are pleased to present the Twelfth Annual South China Sea Conference on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 from 9:00 am-4:00 pm ET. 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, partnerships and force posture, and the role of the Quad, AUKUS, and Europe.

9:00 a.m.        Welcoming Remarks

9:05 a.m.        Morning Keynote

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Vice Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee

Moderator:
Gregory Poling, Director and Senior Fellow, Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS

9:35 a.m.         Break

9:45 a.m.        Session 1: State of Play in the South China Sea

Jung Pak, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Shuxian Luo, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Brookings Institution
Yohanes Sulaiman, Associate Professor, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani

Moderator:
Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS

10:45 a.m.      Break

10:55 a.m.      Session 2: Legal Developments and Dispute Management

Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director General, East Sea Institute, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
Neil Silva, Lecturer, University of the Philippines Diliman
Nathan Nagy, Attorney Adviser, Office of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State

Moderator:
Gregory Poling, Director and Senior Fellow, Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS

11:55 a.m.      Break

12:15 p.m.      Lunch Keynote

Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense

Moderator:
Gregory Poling, Director and Senior Fellow, Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, CSIS

1:15 p.m.        Break

1:25 p.m.        Session 3: Partnerships and Force Posture
  
Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, Associate Professor, Department of International Studies, De La Salle University
Hunter Stires, Fellow, John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research, U.S. Naval War College
Masashi Murano, Japan Chair Fellow, Hudson Institute

Moderator:
Christopher Johnstone, Japan Chair, CSIS

2:25 p.m.        Break

2:35 p.m.        Session 4: The Role of the Quad, AUKUS, and Europe
 
Darshana Baruah, Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Bec Strating, Director, La Trobe Asia & Associate Professor, La Trobe University
Bonnie Glaser, Director, Asia Program, German Marshall Fund

Moderator:
Charles Edel, Australia Chair and Senior Advisor, CSIS

3:35 p.m.        Closing Remarks

3:45 p.m.        End

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