South China Sea
Trade route

The South China Sea has historically been an important trade route between northeast Asia, China, southeast Asia, and going to India and the west. 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.

$3.4 trillion of the world's $16 trillion maritime shipping passed through South China Sea in 2016. The 2019 data shows that the sea carries trade equivalent to 5 per cent of global GDP.
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