China Sea

American  

noun

1. the East China Sea and the South China Sea, taken together.

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China Sea British  

noun

1. part of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of China: divided by Taiwan into the East China Sea in the north and the South China Sea in the south

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Example Sentences

After years of watching China creating land to back its expansive territorial claims Vietnam too is now building up some of the reefs it holds in the South China Sea.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Vietnam and China have a history of sparring over the South China Sea, or the East Sea as Vietnam calls it.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Without referring to Beijing by name, the nations' foreign ministers criticised "dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft" and "ramming and blocking actions in the South China Sea".

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

The two sides also agreed to deepen security cooperation and "reaffirmed the importance of resolving disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful means based on international law," according to the Vietnamese prime minister.

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

In the South China Sea, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, twenty-six-year-old Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez zipped up his flight suit.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin