Editing South China Sea (section)

==Trade route==
[[File:Major crude oil trade flows in the South China Sea (2016) (43582519014).png|thumb|upright=1.3|Millions of barrels of crude oil are traded through the South China Sea each day]]
The South China Sea has historically been an important trade route between northeast Asia, China, southeast Asia, and going to India and the west.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Portuguese as the First Maritime Power |url=https://hum54-15.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/exhibits/show/portuguese-india/maritime-power |access-date=7 May 2024 |website=Humanities 54, Harvard University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Themes {{!}} Asia for Educators {{!}} Columbia University |url=http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/main_pop/kpct/ct_korea.htm |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=afe.easia.columbia.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beyond diplomacy. Japan and Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries {{!}} IIAS |url=https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/beyond-diplomacy-japan-vietnam-during-17th-18th-centuries |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=www.iias.asia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Japan and Vietnam -Archival Records on Our History- |url=https://www.archives.go.jp/event/jp_vn45/english/ch02.html |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=www.archives.go.jp}}</ref> The number of shipwrecks of trading ships that lie on the ocean's floor attest to a thriving trade going back centuries. Nine historic trade ships carrying ceramics dating back to the 10th century until the 19th century were excavated under Swedish engineer [[Sten Sjöstrand]].<ref>Shipwrecks
* {{cite web|url=https://www.skanesauktionsverk.se/sten-sjstrand|title=STEN SJÖSTRAND COLLECTION (Discovery and salvage of four Ming dynasty Chinese shipwrecks, Royal Nanhai, Nanyang, Xuande and Longquan loaded with stoneware and porcelain, made between 1440 and 1470, from e.g., Thailand, China and Vietnam)|access-date=February 8, 2022|website=mingwrecks.com}}
* Rodrigo, Jennifer. ''[http://www.mingwrecks.com/WhatOthersSay.html#anchor_63 History hunter underwater] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314090513/http://www.mingwrecks.com/WhatOthersSay.html#anchor_63 |date=2022-03-14 }}'', [[New Straits Times]]. 7/12/2004
* {{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9609/24/mala.ship/|title=Rare Ming dynasty ceramics found in shipwrecks|date=September 24, 1996|newspaper=CNN.com}}
* {{cite magazine|url=https://www.newsweek.com/race-ruins-145387|title=Race For Ruins|date=May 18, 2002|magazine=Newsweek}}</ref>

$3.4 trillion of the world's $16 trillion [[Maritime transport|maritime shipping]] passed through South China Sea in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-02 |title=How Much Trade Transits the South China Sea? |url=https://chinapower.csis.org/much-trade-transits-south-china-sea/ |website=[[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The 2019 data shows that the sea carries trade equivalent to 5 per cent of global GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-15 |title=There are bigger shipping choke points than Suez |url=https://www.afr.com/world/asia/there-are-bigger-shipping-choke-points-than-suez-20240115-p5exal |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}</ref>