Setting
In the coming years, China had used certain techniques to build millions of tons of sand up into shallow areas, creating "artificial islands", which would later be used to build military bases upon.
By the 2020's, these islands had become immense in size, and military use for the PRC, especially as tensions began to rise around the world. In the 2030's, war had officially broken out, with China and its allies against America and its allies. The war was a bloody, fruitless one, with the result being essentially a stalemate on both sides.
However, China did lose much of its foothold in the South China Sea, leaving its military islands mostly empty. This was when the idea of Pacifica City was formed; a city in the middle of the South China sea, to act both as an "international city", and a means to keep China in check.
By 2040, the ground work was already being laid for the city, and by the 2050's buildings were already going up.
Pacifica City boasts a large population (around 10 million or so), and is home to people from all over Asia (Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean, and many others), and many other parts of the world.
There is an active military presence in the city, partly composed of the various Asian ethnic groups, but also containing a large number of American and European soldiers as well.
The city has become one of the biggest trading hubs in Asia, and acts as a "middle man" for a great deal of trade, with relatively low tax rates and relaxed trade regulations. This makes it something a "gateway city" for many parts of the world, allowing businesses to trade more freely, and with lower costs.
But the city does suffer from a large amount of poverty, and sustaining its population is becoming harder. There is only so much space for agriculture, and with more and more people living here, the actual number of jobs that are available is starting to plummet as well.
The city of course has goals of expansion, but whether it will be possible or not is uncertain, making much of the future of this ocean hub equally uncertain.