The East China Sea is a marginal sea which lies east of China. It is connected to the Pacific Ocean and covers a total area of 1,249,000 km². In China, the sea is called the East Sea, however in Korea, the sea is sometimes called the "South Sea", but this is more often used to denote only the area near South Korea's southern coast.
The East China Sea is bounded on the East by the Kyūshū and Ryukyu Islands, on the South by Taiwan, and on the West by mainland China. The Taiwan Strait connects it to the South China Sea and it connects with the Sea of Japan by the Korea Strait. It opens in the North to the Yellow Sea.
Territories with borders on the sea (clockwise from the north) include South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China.
The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) is the largest river flowing into the East China Sea.
There is a group of submerged reefs in the northern East China Sea. These include:
Socotra Rock, also called Suyan Rock or Ieodo, subject of an EEZ dispute between the People's Republic of China and South Korea.
Hupijiao Rock
Yajiao Rock
The East China Sea is a very important fishing sea. East China Sea Fishery Research Institute (ECSFRI) was established in 1958 and is located in Shanghai in the east of China. It is a comprehensive research institute involved in scientific and technological research for the development of fisheries in East China Sea.
