Special Report: Prevention of Incidents in the South China Sea

This special report aims to emphasize the critical need for incident prevention in managing tensions in the South China Sea. It draws on extensive discussions from Session 5 on Unplanned or Planned Encounters: Building Codes to Prevent Incidents at Sea of the 12th South China Sea International Conference. Held virtually by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam on November 16-17, 2020, the Conference focused on how to maintain peace and cooperation during turbulent times.

This report comprises seven papers addressing various aspects of maritime incident prevention. Six of these papers were presented by panelists during the Conference, with an additional paper authored by Dr. Pham Duy Thuc, the session's caretaker and editor of this report. This collection of insights highlights the importance of establishing robust codes of conduct to prevent maritime incidents and underscores the role of international cooperation in promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region.