The Dialogue on ASEAN Maritime Security, brought together policymakers, scholars, and security professionals in Manila from May 21–23, 2025 to explore critical challenges and emerging issues in Southeast Asian waters. Organized by We Protect Our Seas (WPS) with support from regional and international partners, including YCAPS, the event aimed to assert Southeast Asia’s agency in shaping a rules-based maritime order. Eight thematic panels covered a range of topics, such as maritime law, environmental protection, countering disinformation, and subsea cables.
Three YCAPS Research Fellows participated in the Dialogue. Dr. Chiew Ping Hoo, who is all founder of the East Asian IR Caucus, spoke on Panel 2: Getting Past Constraints: Ideas to Advance ASEAN’s Maritime Security Agenda. She called for greater intra-ASEAN alignment and multi-stakeholder consultations to overcome the deadlock in Code of Conduct (COC) negotiations with China. Dr. Bich Tran, who is also a Non-resident Fellow with WPS, contributed to Panel 7: Safeguarding Subsea Cables as an Emerging Security Challenge. She emphasized Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) as a vital tool to monitor and secure Southeast Asia’s critical undersea infrastructure. YCAPS Research Fellow Eric Ang was also in attendance.
A key takeaway from the conference was the persistent desire among ASEAN states to assert strategic autonomy and uphold UNCLOS as the foundation of maritime governance. Participants warned against viewing regional dynamics solely through the lens of U.S.-China rivalry and stressed the need for collaborative science diplomacy, stronger Coast Guard cooperation, and multilateral responses to disinformation and ecological degradation.
The full outcome document, “Asserting Southeast Asia’s Agency,” authored by Dr. Bich Tran, is now available online and can be accessed here. YCAPS encourages its community members to read and reflect on the report’s recommendations.