The contest over sovereignty to islands, fishing rights, and oil exploration in the South China Sea has been repeatedly in the news in the last two years.

A high ranking delegation from the China National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Haikou, Hainan, China, under the leadership of its President, Dr. Wu Shicun, is visiting Scandinavia, and will discuss China’s policies in the South China Sea with a representative group of Norwegian researchers.

  • President Wu Shicun will give a general introduction to China's South China Sea policy and recent developments.
  • Li Jianwei and Nong Hong will speak briefly about the legal claims of China and other claimant states.
  • Liu Feng and Yan Yan will add remarks about recent engagements of external states.

After these introductorary talks there will be a lively debate among:

  • Geir Ulfstein (University of Oslo, a specialist on the law of the sea)
  • Leiv Lunde (Director, Fridtjof Nansen Institute)
  • Johan Henrik Nossum (lawyer at Selmer with expertise in the law of the sea)
  • Øystein Tunsjø (Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies)
  • Jo Inge Bekkevold (Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies)

Moderator: Stein Tønnesson (PRIO)