Marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean
| Field | Value |
|---|
| pic | East China Sea.PNG |
| piccap | The East China Sea, showing surrounding regions, islands, and seas |
| p | Dōng Hǎi |
| Dōng Zhōngguó Hǎi |
| s | 东海 |
| 东中国海 |
| t | 東海 |
| 東中國海 |
| poj | tong-hái |
| tong tiong-kok hái |
| wuu | ton平 he上 |
| ton平 tson平 koh入 he上 |
| j | dung1 hoi2 |
| dung1 zung1 gwok3 hoi2 |
| h | dung24 hoi31 |
| dung24 dung24 gued2 hoi31 |
| buc | dĕ̤ng-hāi |
| dĕ̤ng dṳ̆ng-guók hāi |
| bpmf | ㄉㄨㄥ ㄏㄞˇ |
| ㄉㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄏㄞˇ |
| romaji | Higashi Shina Kai |
| kanji | 東シナ海 (since 2004) |
| 東支那海 (1913–2004) |
| kana | ひがしシナかい |
| hangul | 황해 |
| hanja | 黄海 |
| rr | Dong Jungguk Hae |
| mr | Tong Jungguk Hae |
Dōng Zhōngguó Hǎi
东中国海
東中國海
tong tiong-kok hái
ton平 tson平 koh入 he上
dung1 zung1 gwok3 hoi2
dung24 dung24 gued2 hoi31
dĕ̤ng dṳ̆ng-guók hāi
ㄉㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄏㄞˇ
東支那海 (1913–2004)
The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (zh, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise designated as a formal name by International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and used internationally.
It covers an area of roughly 1249000 km². The sea's northern extension between Korean Peninsula and mainland China is the Yellow Sea, separated by an imaginary line between the southwestern tip of South Korea's Jeju Island and the eastern tip of Qidong at the Yangtze River estuary.
The East China Sea is bounded in the east and southeast by the middle portion of the first island chain off the eastern Eurasian continental mainland, including the Japanese island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands, and in the south by the island of Taiwan. It connects with the Sea of Japan in the northeast through the Korea Strait, the South China Sea in the southwest via the Taiwan Strait, and the Philippine Sea in the southeast via gaps between the various Ryukyu Islands (e.g. Tokara Strait and Miyako Strait).
Most of the East China Sea is shallow, with almost three-fourths of it being less than 200 m deep, its average depth being 350 m, while the maximum depth, reached in the Okinawa Trough, is 2716 m.
The Korean peninsula, China, Japan, and Taiwan lie within or border the East China Sea.
Geography
The East China Sea is an arm of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of roughly 770000 km2. It is bounded on the east by Kyūshū and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, on the south by the South China Sea, and on the west by the Asian continent. It connects with the Sea of Japan through the Korea Strait; it opens in the north to the Yellow Sea.
Countries with borders on the sea (clockwise from north) include: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the "Eastern China Sea (Tung Hai)" as follows:
::On the South.
::*On the East.*
:::From Haderuma Sima a line including the Miyako Retto to the East point of Miyako Sima and thence to Okinan Kaku, the Southern extremity of Okinawa Sima through this island to Ada-Ko Sima (Sidmouth Island) on to the East point of Kikai Sima (28°20' N) through Tanegra Sima (30°30' N) to the North point thereof and on to Hi-Saki (31°17' N) in Kyusyu.
::*On the North.*
:::From Nomo Saki (32°35' N) in Kyusyu to the South point of Hukae Sima (Goto Retto) and on through this island to Ose Saki (Cape Goto) and to Hunan Kan, the South point of Saisyu To (Quelpart), through this island to its Western extreme and thence along the parallel of 33°17' North to the mainland.
::*On the West.*
:::The mainland of China.
### Rivers
The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) is the largest river flowing into the East China Sea.
### Islands and reefs
*Main article: List of islands in the East China Sea*
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Dayu_Bay_-_Damen_Shan_-_P1210677.JPG" caption="East China Sea coast in [[Cangnan County]], Zhejiang"]
::
- Tong Island
There is a cluster of submerged reefs in the northern East China Sea. These include:
- Socotra Rock, also called Suyan Rock or Ieodo, a subject of an EEZ dispute between the People's Republic of China and South Korea.
- Hupijiao Rock (虎皮礁)
- Yajiao Rock (鴨礁)
## Nomenclature
The sea is called the East Sea in Chinese (東海; *Dōng Hǎi*), and is one of the Four Seas of Chinese literature. There are three other seas, one for each of the four cardinal directions.
Until World War II, the sea was referred to as (*Higashi Shina Kai*; "East Shina Sea") in Japanese. In 2004, official documents of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and other departments switched to the name (pronounced the same), which has become the standard usage in Japan.
Common usage in Indonesia refers to the sea as *Laut Cina Timur* (East China Sea). This name was used officially by the Indonesian government until 2014, when Indonesia switched usage from the word **Cina** to **Tiongkok** instead; since then, the name *Laut Tiongkok Timur* become standard usage in Indonesia. Despite this, many Indonesian media outlets and publications continue to use the former sea name.
## History
### Whaling
American whaleships cruised for right whales in the sea between 1849 and 1892.
### EEZ disputes
*Main article: East China Sea EEZ disputes*
There are disputes between China (PRC), Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea over the extent of their respective exclusive economic zones (EEZ).
The dispute between the PRC and Japan concerns the different application of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which both nations have ratified. China and Japan both claim 200 nautical miles EEZ rights, but the East China Sea width is only 360 nautical miles. China proposed the application of UNCLOS, considering the natural prolongation of its continental shelf, advocating that the EEZ extends as far as the Okinawa Trough. In 2012, China presented a submission under the UNCLOS concerning the outer limits of the continental shelf to the UN. However, Japan claims about 40,000 square kilometers part of this territory as its own EEZ because it is within 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its coast, and thus proposed the Median line division of the EEZ.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/View_of_South_China_Sea.jpg" caption="date=26 October 2012}}</ref>"]
::
Rounds of disputes about island ownership in the East China Sea have triggered both official and civilian protests between China and Japan.
The dispute between PRC and South Korea concerns Socotra Rock, a submerged reef on which South Korea has constructed the Ieodo Ocean Research Station. While neither country claims the rock as territory, the PRC has objected to Korean activities there as a breach of its EEZ rights.
### Navy of the People's Republic of China (PRC)
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/East_China_Sea_2017_02_25_(33105952485).jpg" caption="East China Sea near Shanghai"]
::
In their sphere of naval operations along their littoral (in the East and South China Seas), China today possesses more naval vessels than those of the US Navy. US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump have given priority to US naval operations, under the US Indo-Pacific Command, to expand its sphere of influence in the Pacific Ocean, to counter China's growing strength, and to be ready for any unforeseen challenges in the future.
## Military activities
Taiwan, Japan, China, and South Korea all conduct military exercises in the East China Sea.
## East China Sea in astronomy
Possibly, East China Sea (*Donghai* in Chinese) is represented with the star **Eta Serpentis** in asterism *Left Wall*, Heavenly Market enclosure (see Chinese constellation).
## References
## References
1. (1953). ["Limits of Oceans and Seas"](https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf). *[[International Hydrographic Organization]]*.
2. LaFond, Eugene C.. (19 March 2024). ["East China Sea sea, Pacific Ocean"](https://www.britannica.com/place/East-China-Sea).
3. ["中华人民共和国版图"](https://www.gov.cn/test/2005-06/15/content_18252.htm).
4. (1953). ["Limits of Oceans and Seas"](https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf). *[[International Hydrographic Organization]]*.
5. Chang, Chun-shu. (2007). ["The Rise of the Chinese Empire: Nation, State, and Imperialism in Early China, ca. 1600 B.C. – A.D. 8"](https://archive.org/details/risechineseempir08chan). *University of Michigan Press*.
6. ''Ocmulgee'', of Holmes Hole, 10 Feb – 27 March 1849, Old Dartmouth Historical Society (ODHS); ''Covington'', of Warren, 26 Feb – 21 March 1854, Nicholson Whaling Collection (NWC); ''Florida'', of Fairhaven, 15 Mar – 7 April 1860, in ''Old Whaling Family'' (Williams, 1964); ''John and Winthrop'', of San Francisco, 22 Feb – 31 March 1890, ODHS; ''Cape Horn Pigeon'', of New Bedford, 18 Feb – 14 April 1892, Kendall Whaling Museum (KWM).
7. Manicom, J.. (2014). ["Bridging Troubled Waters: China, Japan, and Maritime Order in the East China Sea"](https://books.google.com/books?id=VjwkAwAAQBAJ). *Georgetown University Press*.
8. Koo, Min Gyo. (2009). ["Island Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia"](https://archive.org/details/islanddisputesma00koom_125). *Springer*.
9. ["Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands"](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/senkaku.htm). *Globalsecurity.org*.
10. Wang, Yuanyuan. (2012). ["China to submit outer limits of continental shelf in East China Sea to UN"](http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-09/16/c_131853714.htm). *Xinhua*.
11. Guo, Rongxing. (2006). "Territorial disputes and resource management: A global handbook". *Nova Science Pub Inc.*.
12. Yu, Runze. (2012). ["China reports to UN outer limits of continental shelf in E. China Sea"](http://english.sina.com/china/2012/1214/538008.html). *SINA English*.
13. ["Diplomatic Bluebook 2006"](http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/2006/03.pdf). *Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan*.
14. Kim, Sun Pyo. (2004). ["Maritime delimitation and interim arrangements in North East Asia"](https://archive.org/details/maritimedelimita00kims). *M. Nijhoff*.
15. Bush, Richard C.. (2010). ["The perils of proximity: China-Japan security relations"](https://archive.org/details/perilsproximityc00bush). *Brookings Institution Press*.
16. Fackler, Martin. (19 June 2008). ["China and Japan in Deal Over Contested Gas Fields"](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/world/asia/19sea.html). *The New York Times*.
17. (March 2008). ["EIA Country Analysis Briefs, East China Sea"](http://www.eia.gov/emeu/cabs/East_China_Sea/Full.html). *Energy Information Administration*.
18. (26 October 2012). ["Why Are China and Japan Sparring Over Eight Tiny, Uninhabited Islands?"](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/10/121026-east-china-sea-dispute/). *[[National Geographic Society]]*.
19. ["Chinese, Japanese Stage Protests Over East China Sea Islands"](https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-japanese-stage-protests-over-east-china-sea-islands-105099884/128195.html). *Voice of America*.
20. Mizokami, Kyle. (20 May 2019). ["China Now Has More Warships Than the U.S."](https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a27532437/china-now-has-more-warships-than-the-us/). *[[Popular Mechanics]]*.
21. (30 May 2018). ["US rebrands Pacific command amid tensions with China"](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/30/politics/us-rebrands-pacific-command/index.html). *CNN*.
22. [link](http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/2006/0606/ap060623.html). *Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy*. (23 June 2006)
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"]
This article was imported from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_China_Sea) and is available under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the [article history page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_China_Sea?action=history).
::