Bodies of Water Surrounding China

China's eastern and southern coasts are bordered by several marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean:

• Bohai Sea (渤海) – Innermost gulf, surrounded by Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong. Semi-enclosed, shallow.
• Yellow Sea (黄海) – North of East China Sea, between China and Korean Peninsula. Named for silt-laden waters from the Yellow River.
• East China Sea (东海) – Extends from Yellow Sea south to Taiwan; includes the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
• South China Sea (南海) – Vast semi-enclosed sea south of China, bordered by Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan. Major shipping lane; extensive territorial disputes.

Note: The Yellow Sea and East China Sea are sometimes described as a continuum. China also has inland water bodies (Qinghai Lake, Poyang Lake) but these are not "surrounding" seas.