The monthly products of the surface winds(SW),sea surface height(SSH)and sea surface temperature(SST)of the South China Sea(SCS)from satellite observations during 2002-2011are used to analyze trends and interannual variability.Time series are smoothed with a 12-month running mean filter. The linear trends of the east and north components of the regional mean SW,wind stress curl,SSH and SST are(-0.0120.014)m/(s·a),(-0.0140.019)m/(s·a),(0.0990.33)*10~(-9) N/(m~3· a),(0.6650.200)cm/a,(-0.0160.017s)℃/a,respectively.The interannual variability of regional mean SW,wind stress curl,SSH and SST correlates with NINO3,EMI(El Nino Modoki Index),EMI and NINO3with coefficient of about 0.6,-0.85,-0.80and 0.68,and with lag of 1,3,2and 4months, respectively.The negative warming rate of the SCS SST is consistent with the global warming hiatus since the end of the last century.Empirical Orthogonal Function(EOF)analysis shows that the first EOF of the SW is characterized by a basin-wide anticyclonic pattern.The corresponding time coefficient function(TCF)correlates with the NINO3.4index at the 99%confidence level(correlation coefficient=0.68), with a lag of 5months.The first EOF of the SSH is characterized by high sea level along the east boundary and east of Vietnam.The corresponding TCF correlates with the EMI with a coefficient of-0.32and a lag of 3month.The first EOF of the SST is characterized by high values in the west and low values in the east.The corresponding TCF correlates with NINO3index at 99%confidence level(correlation coefficient =0.63),with a lag of 4months.