On July 12, the Tides & Voices salon, jointly hosted by CMG Global Chinese Programming Center and CMG Institute, was held at the Media Center Hotel in Beijing. Experts from China and abroad, who are members of CMG’s Expert Committee on South China Sea Studies, engaged in in-depth exchanges on key topics of peace and security challenges in the South China Sea, the shaping of maritime rules and order, crisis management and development opportunities, and trust-building and people-to-people connectivity. The event voiced strong regional support for China-ASEAN cooperation, peaceful handling of maritime differences, and opposition to interference from outside the region.

The South China Sea is a shared home for regional countries and a vital waterway for global trade and cultural exchange. Peace and stability in the South China Sea are common aspirations of regional nations and are closely tied to the pulse of the world economy. Thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea remains stable, with freedom of navigation and overflight effectively guaranteed. China and ASEAN are accelerating consultations to reach an early finalization and adoption of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and to shape a new narrative of peace, cooperation, and friendship.

At the recently concluded China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, put forward four proposals for the future role of China-ASEAN relations: to act as a model for safeguarding regional peace and stability, a model for safeguarding regional peace and stability, and to set an example of conducting mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, an example for promoting inclusiveness and mutual learning. These four proposals reflect the shared vision of China and ASEAN for peaceful development.

At the salon, Zhang Jie, Director of the Asia-Pacific Security and Diplomacy Division at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that maintaining a delicate balance in the South China Sea amid a complex international environment is indeed a remarkable achievement by China and Southeast Asian countries. In today’s era of unprecedented global change, China and Southeast Asia share greater common ground and are working to build a regional security framework that can counterbalance the so-called “new Cold War” and bloc politics pursued by the United States. This reflects both China’s responsibility and its diplomatic wisdom.

Zhang Jie emphasized that strategic trust is rooted in mechanisms and called for further communication and acceleration of the entire COC negotiation process

Yang Xiao, research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations and expert on international strategy, pointed out that if the South China Sea region remains stable, all regional countries benefit collectively; if it falls into chaos, all will suffer. The overall peace and stability in the South China Sea cannot be separated from China’s responsible role as a major power. A typical example is China’s clear commitment at the recent China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to have been the first to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. This sets a strong example in supporting Southeast Asia’s autonomy and safeguarding regional peace.

Yang Xiao noted that the overall peace and stability in the South China Sea region would not be possible without China’s responsible role as a major power

Anna Malindog-Uy, Filipino member of the CMG Expert Committee on South China Sea Studies and Director of External Affairs at the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, believes that the biggest challenge facing the South China Sea today stems from external powers interfering in regional affairs. This risks turning local disputes into global ones. Unfortunately, she said, the Philippines has become trapped in a “proxy” role. She noted that the Philippine government spent one billion Philippines pesos (around 17.6 million US dollars) on the South China Sea Arbitration—case that, if invested in public welfare, could have benefited far more people in the country.

Anna further expressed her gratitude, as a Filipino, for China’s continued restraint in handling disputes with the Philippines. She hopes her government will take a more proactive role in promoting both bilateral and multilateral dialogues with China, while also deepening cultural exchanges—especially between the younger generations—which she sees as vital to the future.

Anna Malindog-Uy stated that “our region does not need military presence, and economic development is key to a better future.”

Chen Xidi, Assistant Research Fellow at the Chine Institute for Marine Affairs under the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that the South China Sea’s past has been “tangled and complicated.” Chen noted that the mindset of some external powers seems to be one of crisis exploitation: “the greater the storm, the higher the price of fish,” which reflects the challenge currently faced. He added, “A heart of pure ice in a jade pot”—a Chinese poetic idiom meaning clarity and integrity—is the future she hopes for in the South China Sea. Chen stressed that China and ASEAN share common traditions, and as long as they work together in a positive direction, no amount of interference can push the South China Sea issue toward instability.

Chen Xidi pointed out that the South China Sea issue is not the main part of China-ASEAN relations, let alone their entirety

The guest speakers’ remarks sparked enthusiastic engagement from students of Renmin University of China and Beijing Language and Culture University. During the Q&A session, students eagerly raised questions and exchanged views on topics such as China-ASEAN regional cooperation achievements, the negative impact of the South China Sea Arbitration Award, and the challenges of ocean governance.

Caption: At the salon, university students actively engaged with Chinese and international experts on South China Sea issues

This salon was academically supported by the CMG Expert Committee on South China Sea Studies, a joint initiative of the CMG Institute and CMG Global Chinese Programming Center. The committee brings together over twenty leading experts and professionals from institutions such as the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of History, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific, and the Indonesia-China Partnership Studies Institute. It aims to contribute wisdom and strength by promoting more rational, fair, and objective voices for peace in the global discourse on the South China Sea.