Organized by the International Affairs Research Centre (IARC) of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies and sponsored by the Institute of Chinese Studies, the international conference 'Sino-Pacific Relations: New Spatialisation of Order in the Pacific Islands?' was held on 14 March, attracting an audience of around 80.

A total of 19 scholars were invited to share their views on China's role in the Pacific Region. They included Prof. Zhao Suisheng, professor and executive director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation at the University of Denver; Prof. Mark Beeson of Murdoch University; Prof. Terence Wesley-Smith of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa; and Prof. Nicholas Thomas of the City University of Hong Kong. The subjects covered ranged from analysis of foreign policies of China and Australia, balance of power of China-Japan-US in the Pacific Region, China's economic engagement in the Pacific islands, to the diplomatic battle between Beijing and Taipei in the Pacific Region.