China has long claimed the ownership of a network of widely-scattered islands and their surrounding waters and resources in the South China Sea. These claims overlap in a substantial way with those of at least three ASEAN countries: Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. To this day, the South China Sea has remained one of the region's most dangerous 'flashpoints'. Despite regional efforts to calm the situation, the complicated nature of the issue continues to challenge regional security. The ASEAN Studies Centre has taken this initiative to host a discussion on "Energy and Geopolitics in South China Sea", with contributions from Michael Richardson and a number of experts in this area to put across their analytical views of the issue.