Page 27 - Diplomatic Voice 2014 Vol 1

FORUM NEWS Lecture Series: Beyond the Horizon - Potential Political Breakthrough in the South China Sea IDFR Lecture Series for 2014 took off with a lecture held in collaboration with the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) on 23 January 2014 at the IDFR’s Treaty Room. The lecture on Beyond the Horizon – Potential Political Breakthrough in the South China Sea, was delivered by the distin- guished Professor Dr. Vivian L. Forbes, Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia and also Senior Visiting Research Fellow of MIMA. Professor Forbes is also a professional and practicing cartographer; a marine political geographer; a lecturer in ensure the peace and stability in the mant states and the United States spatial sciences and marine affairs SCS amidst the overlapping claims by position on the SCS issue. and a former Merchant Naval Officer. the claimant countries namely China, He is also a Guest Professor of China Vietnam, The Philippines, Taiwan, The lecture also saw the presence of Institute for Boundary and Ocean Malaysia and Brunei. high level officials from various Studies, Wuhan University and Guest government agencies and academic Professor of South China Sea Ins- Based on his experiences through the institutes that were dealing with the titute, Xiamen University, China. studies conducted while being at- SCS issues such as the Ministry of tached to the China Institute of Foreign Affairs, National Security During his lecture, he shared his vast Boundary and Ocean Studies (CIBOS) Council, Attorney General’s Cham- knowledge and expertise on matters at Wuhan University and SCS Institute bers, National Hydrographic Centre, related to the South China Sea (SCS) at Xiamen University, Professor Naval Chartography Department, which saw the overlapping territorial Forbes also shared perspectives on Royal Malaysian Navy and Depart- claims. He also emphasised on a the ASEAN’s Declaration on the Code ment of Survey and Mapping. number of diplomatic initiatives and of Conduct on the SCS, the validity of cooperative activities that have been China’s claim, possible cooperation undertaken as part of the efforts to and joint submission between clai- Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP): Diplomatic Training Course for International Participants 1/2014 The Malaysian Technical Cooperation ledge and skills on diplo- Programme (MTCP) : Diplomatic Train- macy and international ing Course for International Partici- relations, to give expo- pants 1/2014 was organised by IDFR sure for the participants from 3 until 21 March 2014. This on Malaysia’s experience three-week programme attended by in managing its foreign 29 diplomats, namely from Albania, policy and international Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bos- relations and to provide nia Herzegovina, Brunei, Cambodia, hands-on experience and Congo, Egypt, Fiji, Guinea, Jordan, networking for the parti- Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lesotho, cipants. Maldives, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Togo, An integrated teaching and learning that were conducted included Malay- Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, methodologies which included brief- sia’s Foreign Policy, Current Interna- Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe. ing, discussions, lectures, simulation tional Relations and Global Issues, The objectives of the programme were and exercises were conducted during Regional Security, Diplomatic Skills to enhance the participants’ know- the programme. In general, modules and Language. The participants were DIPLOMATIC VOICE 27