South China Sea Talk

A group photo after the talk

A comprehensive talk on the current situation of South China Sea was held in Sungai Long Campus on 11 April 2018 by the Centre for Extension Education.

The talk was delivered by Deputy Director of Institute of International General Education Studies Nanfang College of Sun Yat-Sen University Dr Mike Chia-Yu Huang from Guangzhou, China. He holds a PhD in International and Political Studies from the University of New South Wales-Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra Australia.

Dr Huang during his talk

The talk was chaired by Centre for International Studies (CIS) Senior General Manager Dr Leong Mun Yoon. Also present were CIS Chairperson Dr Ho Ying Chan, Institute of Chinese Studies Head of Contemporary China Studies Unit Dr Chin Chong Foh, UTAR staff, students and public members.

Dr Huang started his talk with a deliberated definition of South China Sea. “The 3,500,000 kilometre square area is seen as a very lucrative fishery resource. Other than that, the gas reserve is estimated to be over 260 trillion cubic feet followed by 11 billion barrels of oil reserve. Since it has so much hydrocarbon resources, some people call it a chunky fat meat,” said Dr Huang.

While the area is mainly made of sea, the land which mostly consists of islands, rocks, and low-tide elevations gets the limelight from the countries surrounding them. These areas consist of the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands and Scarborough Shoal.

Dr Huang further shared his findings on the history of the South China Sea, its current situation, and the expected future of the region.

The talk ended with a Q&A and opinion sharing sessions by the audience.

Dr Leong (left) presents a token of appreciation to Dr Huang