INTRODUCTION

The world in 2026 is gripped by a global polycrisis, a condition in which multiple, distinct crises interact and compound one another in ways that make the aggregate situation far more severe than any single crisis alone. The concept, popularized by historian Adam Tooze and adopted by the World Economic Forum, describes a reality in which food shortages, climate breakdown, geopolitical rivalries, digital conflicts, and social fragmentation are no longer separate policy challenges: they are a single, cascading emergency.

Held in Guangzhou, China, ICSGS 2026 occupies a uniquely strategic location. As one of China’s foremost international commercial and conference hubs, Guangzhou combines world-class MICE infrastructure with deep economic, geopolitical, and regional significance. Located at the heart of the Pearl River Delta and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou serves as a major gateway connecting China with Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. Its proximity to the South China Sea and integration with some of the world’s busiest ports, manufacturing networks, and maritime trade corridors make the city particularly relevant to contemporary discussions on regional connectivity and global supply chains. This geography is not incidental: it provides the conference’s analytical backdrop, making discussions of maritime governance, food security, regional architecture, economic connectivity, and China’s role in Indo-Pacific dynamics immediately vivid and concrete.

ICSGS 2026 invites scholars, graduate students, policymakers, and practitioners to engage these challenges through the integrated lenses of strategic studies, global studies, and sustainable development — transcending disciplinary silos to produce knowledge that is analytically rigorous and policy-relevant.

Plenary Panel Sessions

  • US–China strategic rivalry
  • ASEAN centrality & balancing
  • South China Sea and Asia-Pacific frameworks
  • Europe & Eurasia
  • Emerging Multilateral cooperation: BRICS+, SCO, and ASEAN

  • Food–Water security & sovereignty
  • Food–Water–Energy nexus
  • Urban-Rural Development
  • Supply chain disruption
  • Sustainable blue food, agriculture & forestry
  • Gastronomy Diplomacy

  • Digital infrastructure rivalry
  • Sovereign internet & data governance
  • Tech decoupling (US–China)
  • AI governance & strategic use
  • Cyber warfare & espionage
  • Intelligence studies

  • Belt & Road Initiative 2.0
  • Friend-shoring & de-risking
  • Sustainable finance & green investment
  • ASEAN–GCC relations and economic cooperation

  • Forced displacement & statelessness
  • Gender in conflict & peacebuilding
  • Radicalization & counter-terrorism
  • Social cohesion & polarization
  • Urban security in the Global South
  • Police science
  • Migration and Mobility

  • The Pearl River Delta and South China Sea as a strategic maritime gateway and global shipping nexus case
  • Maritime boundary disputes
  • Pacific & ASEAN island geopolitics
  • Blue economy & UNCLOS
  • Island resilience & climate adaptation

Sub-Theme

  • Strategic Studies, Geopolitics & Global Governance
  • Food Security, Agricultural Resilience & Urban-Rural Linkage Development
  • Climate Change, Environment & Sustainable Development
  • Digital Transformation, Technology & Cyber Governance
  • Geoeconomics, Trade & Development Finance
  • Human Security, Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), and Peacebuilding 
  • Maritime Affairs, Blue Economy, Archipelago & Island Studies
  • Regional Studies: Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Asia-Pacific & the Middle East
  • Disaster Governance, Urban Resilience, Transportation & Logistic, and Crisis Management