Xiamen University Center for Oceans Law and the China Seas Is Rated as an “Excellent Social Science Research Base of Fujian Province”

On September 7, 2018, the Social Science Planning Office of Fujian Provincereleased the “Notice on the Assessment Results of the First Batch of Social Science Research Bases in Fujian Province”. According to the notice, XiamenUniversity Center for Oceans Law and the China Seas is rated as “excellent”. This rating shows that the Center’s work sinceits creationhas been highly appreciated.

TheCenter, since its establishment in 2014, has extensively studied issuesrelating to the law of the sea, ocean policy, and marine history, withits focus on the South and the East China Seas.Led by ProfessorKuenchenFU, a well-known scholarbothhome and abroad,the Center has many researchers specializing in diverse fields. They have done a lot of basic and extensive research on the issues associated with the South China Sea. The Center has also furthered the contact and communication with therelevant international organizations pertinent to the South and East China Seas,as well as the academic institutionshome and abroad, especially those on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Such efforts have boosted the free movement of people across the Taiwan Strait, and even across international borders, adding momentum tothebuilding of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

TheCenter has contributed tremendously by offering advice and suggestionsto Chinese governments at all levels and authorities in charge of marine affairs.Some of its research reports have beenadopted officially by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Oceanic Administration, the Public InformationBureau ofthePublicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, theMarine Rights Bureauunder the Office of Foreign Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, the Supreme People’s Court,and theXinhua News Agency, etc.

The Center has two regular publications:China Ocean Law Review andSouth China Sea Bulletin, whichnot only strengthened the academic research on the law of the sea and ocean policy, but also greatlyraised China’svoice in the affairs in relation to the East and South China Seas. The JournalChina Ocean Law Review, since its publication, has been widely recognized and valued, and even consideredas an authoritative publication by some academic institutions.

TheSouth China Sea Bulletin is an English and Chinese bilingual publication. Firstlaunched in January 2013, the Bulletin has seen 66issues released so far. It is emailed, on a monthly basis, toover 5,000 marine professionals worldwide, providing them withcomprehensive and timely information about the South China Sea.