Read a summary of this teleconference.

The first installment of the Pacific Council’s Summer Teleconference Series, on the future of U.S. policy in the South China Sea.

For the past eight years, tensions surrounding maritime territorial and sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea have become a pressing challenge for U.S. policy makers. In the wake of the UN tribunal ruling on the South China Sea last summer, the challenge of managing the tensions while defending U.S. interests has intensified, raising questions about U.S. diplomacy and security commitments in the region, and about the implications of China’s emergence as a regional power.

What should U.S. policy be in the South China Sea? Can a compromise be reached in the region?

Listen to the full conversation below:

Featuring:

Ms. Lindsey Ford, Director of Political-Security Affairs and Richard Holbrooke Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute

Lindsey Ford is the director of political-security affairs for the Asia Society Policy Institute, as well as ASPI’s inaugural Richard Holbrooke Fellow. Her expertise includes U.S. national security, Asian regional architecture, and maritime security issues. Prior to joining ASPI, she served in a variety of roles at the U.S. Department of Defense. Read more.

Mr. Murray Hiebert, Senior Adviser and Deputy Director, Southeast Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Murray Hiebert serves as senior adviser and deputy director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining CSIS, he was senior director for Southeast Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he worked to promote trade and investment opportunities between the United States and Asia. Read more.

Moderator:

Ms. Eleanor Albert, Online Writer/Editor, Council on Foreign Relations

Eleanor Albert covers Asia policy for CFR.org, the explanatory journalism arm of the foreign policy think tank. Read more.