EcoS Guest Lecture with Prof. Jay L Batongbacal

Event Information

Date: October 23 (Friday), 2026, 18:30–20:00 (CEST)
Venue: SIN 1 (2F-O1-10), Entrance 2.3, Hof 2, Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Vienna

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About the Guest Lecture

The South China Sea disputes have always been referred to as the most complex and intractable of all international disputes, and in recent years have become the loci of increasing tensions among the claimant States. In 2016, an international tribunal convened in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) promulgated an Award that brought much-needed legal clarity with respect to the maritime dispute between the Philippines and China. China, however, roundly rejected the Award and since then, relations between the two countries have steadily deteriorated and interactions at sea have become increasingly belligerent and occasionally violent.

This presentation seeks to provide a concise overview of the Philippines/China maritime disputes, the South China Sea Arbitration, developments in the aftermath of the Award, and the current state of affairs and tensions. It will also discuss the broader context and implications of these developments, the trajectories of current events, and the prospective futures for the Philippines/China relations, the Southeast Asian region, and the world.

The lecture will be moderated by Assoc. Prof. Alfred Gerstl, Palacký University Olomouc and University of Vienna.

About the Speaker

Jay L Batongbacal is a lawyer with degrees in Political Science and Law from the University of the Philippines, as well as Master of Marine Management and Doctor in the Science of Law, both from Dalhousie University (Canada). At present, he is a full Professor and chairs the Graduate Studies Program at the University of the Philippines College of Law, while also serving as Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMLOS) of the U.P. Law Center and Chair of the LLM Program Commitee.

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