Beijing, July 11 -- An international symposium on the history and reality of the South China Sea was held in Beijing on Thursday, promoting China's narrative of sovereignty and peace in a region rife with growing tensions, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua reported that the symposium gathered over 150 experts and scholars from more than 10 countries, including China, the Philippines, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, under the auspices of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance.

The event centred around contentious topics such as the post-World War II international order, sovereignty claims over the South China Sea islands (referred to by Ch...