CSIS 15th Annual South China Sea Conference Convenes: Alliance Networks, Legal Developments, and Indo-Pacific Outside Parties Assessed

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted the Fifteenth Annual South China Sea Conference in Washington, D.C., on May 29, 2026, organized by CSIS's Americas Program, Southeast Asia Program, and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI). The conference brought together senior policymakers, military officials, and regional scholars to assess the current state of the South China Sea dispute. The agenda addressed four main themes: (1) the latest developments in SCS militarization and gray zone operations — including China's accelerating Antelope Reef construction in the Paracels (first new artificial island project since 2017, approximately 1,490 acres), the ongoing Xiang Yang Hong 33 standoff near Pag-asa Island (Day 23), and the post-Balikatan 2026 Chinese naval posture surge; (2) legal developments and dispute management — including the approaching 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016 PCA ruling and the stalled ASEAN-China Code of Conduct negotiations, widely assessed by analysts as unlikely to produce a binding agreement in 2026 despite the Philippines' chairmanship deadline; (3) evolving alliance networks — covering AUKUS Pillar I submarine pathway credibility (amid UK Parliamentary scrutiny and Turnbull criticisms), Japan-Philippines RAA implementation (in force September 2025), EDCA site development, and Balikatan 2026 outcomes; and (4) the role of outside parties including India, South Korea, and European nations in shaping Indo-Pacific security architecture alongside traditional US-Philippine-Japan-Australia partners. The annual CSIS SCS Conference is the principal policy-analytical gathering for SCS professionals and influences US government posture toward the dispute in the months following the event. AMTI satellite imagery assessments presented at the conference are typically published on the AMTI portal in subsequent weeks.