Archaeologists have recently discovered two 500-year-old shipwrecks in the South China Sea. These findings provide a remarkable glimpse into China's vibrant maritime history during the Ming Dynasty. The discoveries showcase exquisite artefacts and offer evidence of the extensive trade networks that once connected China to the rest of Asia and beyond.

Manila has repeatedly accused the Chinese coastguard of blocking resupply missions to its troops on The Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, as it did on 5 Aug when it sprayed a Philippine vessel with a water cannon.

The South China Sea dispute involves territorial claims by multiple nations, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. It centres around control of islands, reefs, and waters in the South China Sea. 

The Chinese government has imposed a 10-year commercial fishing ban in the Yangtze River to combat "across-the-board" declines in the populations of rare species like the Chinese sturgeon.

As it came into effect on 1 January 2020, it is hoped that the ban will tackle the problems of dwindling fish stocks and declining biodiversity in the 6,300m river. It will be applied at 332 conservation sites along the river and be extended to cover the main river course and key tributaries by 1 January 2021.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also claimed by others. The Permanent Court of Arbitration said there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources.

The shipwreck was first discovered in 2013. It was first code-named "Dandong No.1" and has been tentatively identified as the Cruiser Zhiyuan.

On 17 September 1894, during Battle of the Yalu River - the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War, involving ships from the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Chinese Beiyang Fleet - the Zhiyuan came under attack from Japanese cruisers. It was hit in the bow by a Japanese shell after which the Chinese cruiser rapidly sank with the loss of 245 officers and crewmen out of a complement of 252 complement.

Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins while the remainder of the living shark is discarded in the ocean.

NBA All-Star Yao Ming pledged to stop eating shark fin soup at a news conference on August 2, 2006. However at that time Yao's comments were largely unreported in the Chinese media.

China's claim that the hull of the vessel contained no human remains, identity tags, watches, rings or other personal items has provoked anger among relatives of the men who died

On 9th June 1931 HMS Poseidon was exercising 20 miles north of her home base of Wei Hai Wei when the steamer Yuta was spotted some distance away. Despite excellent visibility, the two vessels collided and the submarine sank within two minutes.