The major research programDeep Sea Processes and Evolution of the South China Sea (2011-2018)" supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, was completed with some major achievements. Together with the implementation of three and a half ocean drilling expeditions (IODP 349, 367, 368, 368X), rapid developments of deep-sea researches have promoted the South China Sea into the international deep-sea frontier. Substantial progress was made in three fields:the oceancontinent interactions in deep sea, the plate-edge rifting of marginal basin, and the low-latitude forcing of climate changes, all with innovative discoveries challenging the conventional wisdom originated from the West Europe and North Atlantic. The research progress in recent years have shown the leading role of the Chinese community in the South China Sea. With the further enhancement of research activities, the South China Sea is expected to become a natural laboratory for the global ocean science.

South China Sea  /  marginal sea  /  ocean-continent interactions  /  genesis of deep sea basin  /  long-term climate change