The first MAFDC Forum, “Defence and Security Forum on the Sulu and South China Seas”, was held on 16 March 2021, in collaboration with Projek Pertiwi, a Malaysian grassroot defence platform, led by young and emerging researchers, to educate the Malaysian public on defence issues of concern to Malaysia. At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic and South China Sea conflict were intensifying and online cross-border exchanges, such as the MAFDC Forum, were significant. The current 2022 MAFDC Forum, in partnership with the EAIR Caucus, and with in-kind support from the British High Commission, Malaysia, marks a new initiative of discussions on South China Sea issues among top scholars from the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Southeast Asian countries.