The National Institute for South China Sea Studies (中國南海研究院) is a Chinese public institution and think tank, headquartered in Haikou, Hainan Province, under the Hainan provincial government. The institute describes itself as “a national-level specialist think tank” (國家級特色專業智庫), with more than 50 researchers across five divisions covering maritime law and policy, South China Sea history and culture, regional studies, maritime security, and public diplomacy, and states its mission includes providing policy support for China’s South China Sea sovereignty and maritime rights positions, as well as promoting regional ocean governance. Its predecessor, the Hainan Research Center for the South China Sea (海南南海研究中心), was founded in 1996 and in July 2004 was renamed under its current designation. A Beijing branch of the Institute was established in January 2013 when then-president Wu Shicun (吳士存) said that the branch was established to provide a “more direct and convenient way to hear the central government’s voice and receive policy and operational guidance from relevant state departments.” Wu, who frequently speaks through Chinese state media on South China Sea issues, is also identified as the president of the Institute for Europe-China Studies. While his public bio emphasizes his academic credentials, including a doctorate in modern Chinese history from Nanjing University, Wu spent more than a decade rising through Hainan’s provincial foreign affairs and overseas Chinese affairs apparatus, serving successively as deputy director, director, and Party secretary, before taking on his current role. He has served since 2013 as a Hainan provincial people’s congress standing committee member and provincial party committee member.