In addition to roundtable dialogue on subject matters pertinent to the security issues of South China Sea, this event also featured the official launch of the report A New Critique of the South China Sea Arbitration Award. Jointly organised by the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, and the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL), this event brought together over a hundred prominent experts, scholars, government officials, consular corps stationed in the Hong Kong SAR, and representatives from international organisations to engage in the discussions of three panels: ‘A New Critique of the South China Sea Arbitration Award: Jurisdiction, Legal Flaws, and Implementation Challenges’, ‘Assessment of the South China Sea Security Situation and Risk Response’, and ‘Maintaining Stability in the South China Sea: Laws, Rules, and Order’.

Opening and welcome remarks were delivered by Wu Shicun, Chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, alongside with Huang Jiefang, Secretary-General of AAIL. Keynote speeches were presented by Qi Dahai, Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China; Stephen Fietta, founder of the UK law firm Fietta LLP; and Wu Shicun.

A New Critique of the South China Sea Arbitration Award was presented by Xu Xiaodong, Executive Vice Chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, and Zhou Yong, Vice President of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. Jointly compiled by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, with legal support from Fietta LLP, the report offers an in-depth legal analysis of the arbitration award and identifies significant errors in legal interpretation, fact-finding, and evidentiary assessment.