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 Hainan — China’s southernmost province, a Special Economic Zone and Free Trade Port, and the site of the Boao Forum for Asia — ICSGS 2026 occupies a uniquely symbolic location. Hainan sits at the intersection of the South China Sea, the Asia-Pacific strategic theater, and China’s vision for 21st-century maritime connectivity. This geography is not incidental: it provides the conference’s analytical backdrop, making discussions of maritime governance, food security, regional architecture, and China’s global role 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.
