Jinming Li is Professor Emeritus of the Research Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University. He has long been engaged in studies on the history of China - foreign relations, the history of China's overseas trade, South China Sea disputes and the law of the sea. His publications include History of Overseas Trade in the Ming Dynasty and History of Overseas Trade in Ancient China.

Part 1: Introduction 1. Geographical Overview of China's Maritime Boundaries in the South China Sea Part 2: Chinese Historical Records on the South China Sea 2. Chinese Historical Records of the South China Sea3. Shitang and Changsha within China's Maritime Boundaries in the South China Sea 4. South China Sea in the Measurements of the Four Seas of the Yuan Dynasty 5. Why are Hoang Sa and Truong Sa of Vietnam not Xisha and Nansha of China: Some evidence from historical sources 6. China's Development and Administration of Xisha and Nansha Islands Part 3: Controversy over the Dotted Line 7. China's Dotted Line in the South China Sea: Its Background and Ramifications 8. Legal Status of the Dotted Line in the South China Sea: Historic Waters, Territory Boundary Line or an Island Ownership Line? 9. A Critical Review of Research on the Legal Status of the Dotted line in the South China Sea Part 4: Mixed Reactions to New Developments in Contested Waters 10. China's Struggle for Sovereignty over Xisha and Nansha Islands before and after the Second Sino-Japanese War 11. China's dispute with the Philippines over the Nansha Islands: Perspective of International Law 12. Sino-French Border Demarcation Disputes and Maritime Boundary Delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin 13. UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the South China Sea Disputes 14. Latest Developments in the South China Sea and China's Responses 15. Current Situation in the South China Sea and Vietnamese Policy