South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the western Pacific bordered by southern China, mainland Southeast Asia, Borneo, and the Philippines. It links major East Asian shipping routes and contains numerous disputed islands and maritime zones.

South China Sea circulation: The seasonal pattern of currents that moves water through the South China Sea and connects it to neighboring seas. Monsoon winds reverse parts of its surface circulation each year.
Spratly Islands: A dispersed group of reefs, islands, and shoals in the southern South China Sea. Several governments claim overlapping sovereignty over this contested group.
UNCLOS: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the treaty governing maritime zones and ocean uses. Its rules define the legal framework for competing claims in the sea.
South China Sea trade: Commercial shipping through the South China Sea, linking East Asia with Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and beyond. Its routes carry a large share of global maritime trade and energy shipments.
Nine-dash line: A segmented line on Chinese maps marking an expansive claim across much of the South China Sea. It became the best-known expression of China's claim, though its legal meaning remains disputed.
Asian-Australian monsoon: A seasonal wind system that brings alternating wet and dry periods across South and Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Its winds drive seasonal changes in sea conditions and circulation.
Paracel Islands: A group of islands and reefs in the northwestern South China Sea, controlled by China and claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Their control and competing claims have shaped disputes in the sea's northern reaches.
Permanent Court of Arbitration: An intergovernmental organization that administers arbitration and other dispute-resolution proceedings. It administered the 2013–2016 Philippines–China arbitration over maritime rights.
Malacca Strait: A narrow passage between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra connecting the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea. It is a major gateway for ships entering or leaving the sea from the west.
Exclusive economic zone: A maritime zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coast, where a state has specified resource rights under UNCLOS. It supplies the treaty-based framework against which overlapping claims are assessed.

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