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ABSTRACT Han, H.; Xia, S., and Jiang, Y., 2018. Challenging issues over sustainable water management in coastal area from China. In: Liu, Z.L. and Mi, C. (eds.), Advances in Sustainable Port and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 83, pp. 946–958. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Given the fact of shortage and uneven distribution of water resource in coastal area from China, efficient water utilization is critical against the background of fast urbanization and growing demand arising from industrialization in coastal area from China. Meanwhile, environmental degradation is aggregating the constraint of water shortage on social economic development, industrial point pollution and non-point pollution arising from agricultural activities and municipal solid waste have emerged as the most challenging issues over water environmental management. Fragmented government management, the lack of interagency coordination, and the lack of public participation in EIA are the fundamental reason for the deterioration of riverine environments and overexploitation of water. The challenging issue facing decision makers now is how to resolve the conflict between increasing food demand and decreasing water supply without undermining the progress of urbanization and the industrial sector. A shift of strategic focus is urgently needed for Chinese Government to integrated water management by integrating water allocation and water quality management.