Abstract: The PLA Navy has carried out military operations other than war ( MOOTW) in the South China Sea (SCS) in recent years in order to safeguard national sovereignty and marine rights and interests，achieving good effect, With the increasingly significant role of MOOTW at sea in the process of safeguarding rights and interests in the SCS，however，the MOOTW at sea，while moving towards the gradual normalization，face some legal issues，which are more and more intense.  According to the current situations of safeguarding rights and interests in the SCS，the paper analyzes the necessity and feasibility of carrying out MOOTW by the PLA Navy to facilitate the safeguard of rights and interests in the SCS． It is suggested to speed up the legislative process related to MOOTW，establish the relative legal system and provide the sufficient counseling services about military laws while exploring the measures and approaches to strengthening legal protection of MOOTW by the PLA Navy．

Key words: South China Sea; PLA Navy; military operation other than war; judge advocate