East China Sea

American  

noun

1. a part of the northern Pacific, bounded by China, Japan, the Ryukyus, and Taiwan. 480,000 sq. mi. (1,243,200 sq. km).

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East China Sea British  

noun

1. part of the N Pacific, between the E coast of China and the Ryukyu Islands

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Example Sentences

They extend from the Yellow Sea facing South Korea, south to waters of the East China Sea facing Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

A string of Japanese islands stretches across the East China Sea and stops less than 70 miles from Taiwan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

On December 9, Russian and Chinese bombers rendezvous in the East China Sea and fly around Japan, Tokyo says.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

While Japan and China made an in-principle agreement in 2008 to jointly exploit resources in the East China Sea, the waterway that separates the two countries, tensions have escalated over the past decade-and-a-half.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

Last September Admiral Halsey led American naval task forces into Philippine waters and north to the East China Sea, and struck heavy blows at Japanese air and sea power.

From State of the Union Address by Roosevelt, Franklin Delano