East China Sea

The East China Sea lies between the Chinese mainland and the islands of Kyushu, the Ryukyus, and Taiwan. Much of it covers a broad, shallow continental shelf, though the Okinawa Trough descends to far greater depths beside the island chain. To the north it gives way to the Yellow Sea, while the Taiwan Strait connects it to the South China Sea. Passages through the Ryukyus open eastward into the Pacific.