The National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) is a professional research institute dedicated to enhancing knowledge and understanding about the South China Sea and its regional security issues. It was founded as the Hainan Research Institute for South China Sea Studies (HRISCS) in 1996 and upgraded to a national level think tank and renamed the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in July 2004. In 2013, the NISCSS opened its Beijing Office in order to promote the study of the South China Sea as well as to expand its national academic partnerships. In recent years, the NISCSS continues to expand its influence globally. In 2014, the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) was established in Washington, D.C. with the support and sponsorship of the NISCSS-affiliated Hainan Nanhai Research Foundation, and became the first Chinese think tank that goes overseas. Also initiated by the NISCSS, the China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea (CSARC) was co-founded by the NISCSS and six influential think tanks across Southeast Asia in the year of 2016. CSARC is the first of its kind in China dedicating to the study of regional cooperation in the South China Sea. The NISCSS was listed among the second batch of 25 pilot units of China’s“National High-end Think Tank Construction”program. The Institute currently comprises of research centers for oceans law and policy, maritime economy, maritime science, global navy and the Maritime Silk Road, etc. It covers an extensive range of research activity regarding South China Sea history and geography, regional geopolitics and security, international law, maritime economy and so on. Until now, the Institute has established cooperative ties with nearly one hundred of renowned think tanks and research institutions from over twenty countries and regions across the world. It has become an internationally-recognized research institute for ocean affairs and regional security, and a reputable platform for ocean-related public diplomacy, public maritime awareness education, and personnel training for ocean governance.