From December 1 to 5, 2025 Workshop on the Law and Practice of International Dispute Settlement, co-hosted by the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance(Huayang Center) and the China Oceanic Development Foundation, was successfully held in Beijing. This year’s workshop covered a broad range of themes, including the development of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the legal regime of islands, international litigation related to the law of the sea, diplomatic methods for settling maritime disputes, approaches and practice in maritime delimitation, and pathways for strengthening China as a maritime power and promoting high-quality development of the marine economy. Nearly 70 participants from government ministries, research institutes, think tanks, and universities took part in the program. Distinguished international law experts and scholars from Iceland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Cameroon, Australia, and China delivered eight lectures for the workshop.

Wu Shicun, Chairman of the Huayang Center and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), attended the opening ceremony of the workshop and delivered the opening remark.

Tomas Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; Stefan Talmon, Professor at the University of Bonn, Germany; Helmut Türk, Former Judge and Vice-President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; Liesbeth Lijnzaad, Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; Maurice Kamga, Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; Vivian Forbes, Professor at the University of Western Australia; and Zhou Jian, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, were invited to deliver lectures for the workshop. Pan Xinchun, Deputy President of the China Oceanic Development Foundation, presented a special lecture titled “Strengthen a High-Quality Development of the Marine Economy.”

Xu Xiaodong, Executive Vice Chairman of the Huayang Center, attended the closing ceremony of the Workshop and presented certificates of completion to the participants who had successfully completed the program.

Wu Shicun, Chairman of the Huayang Center and Chair of the Academic Committee of the NISCSS, delivering opening remarks

Tomas Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, delivering a lecture

Helmut Türk, Former Judge and Vice-President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, delivering a lecture

Judge Liesbeth Lijnzaad of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivering a lecture

Judge Maurice Kamga of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivering a lecture

Pan Xinchun, Deputy President of the China Oceanic Development Foundation, delivering a special presentation

Professor Vivian Forbes of the University of Western Australia delivering a lecture

Zhou Jian, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Huayang Center, delivering a lecture

Participant asking a question

Participants engaged in classroom discussions

Participants engaged in classroom discussions

Group Photo of Workshop Instructors and Participants

Xu Xiaodong, Executive Vice Chairman of the Huayang Center, and Zhou Jian, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Huayang Center, presented certificates of completion to the participants.