During 24 to 28 June 2019, China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) co-organized the 3rd South China Sea Conference (SCS 2019) with the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), University of Malaya (UM) and the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) China. Held at Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this conference provided a fruitful platform for discussion and exchange related to research activities in the South China Seas and promoted academic cooperation among marine scientists all over the world.

Themed “Sea, Science & Societies: Forging Alliances in Facing Global Environmental Change”, the conference consisted of five main sessions: (i) Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Management; (ii) Anthropogenic Impacts on Coastal Processes; (iii) Ocean Accounts and Maritime Communities; (iv) Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Growth of Blue Economy; and (v) Sensing and Monitoring of the Ocean and Atmosphere.

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120 participants from 12 countries, including China, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, India, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United States and Malaysia, attended the conference. Prof. Dai Minghan, Director of State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (XMU) and Prof. Kao Shuh-Ji from State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (XMU) gave lectures on Carbon Cycle in the South China Sea: Flux, Controls and Global Implications and Global Change and Marine Nitrogen Cycle respectively as plenary speakers. An interesting talk on The Influence of the South China Sea on Transports and Mixing in the Indonesian Throughflow was given by Prof. Robin Robertson from XMUM.

This conference enabled scientists, technologists and people interested in marine sciences to gather together and present their latest findings. It also facilitated the development of new collaborative relationships and research partnerships, and created opportunities for students and emerging scientists to exchange views and gather cutting-edge information in their respective field of expertise.