There are a large number of Cenozoic carbonate platforms in the South China Sea. These platforms record the evolution of tectonic, paleoclimate and paleoceanography in the South China Sea since the Late Oligocene, and are also important hydrocarbon reserviors. Although there is a lot of research on carbonate platforms in the South China Sea, the three- dimensional structure and high- resolution sequence stratigraphic framework of modern carbonate platforms in the South China Sea has not yet been established, and the controlling factors for the development and evolution of isolated platforms is also controversial with the drowning mechanism. Therefore, it is urgent to carry out the carbonate platform ocean drilling in the South China Sea. There are a large number of modern carbonate platforms in the Xisha archipelago of the northern South China Sea, where is a good target area. This paper proposes to select two platforms, Xuande and Beijiao, to carry out drilling in the platform lagoons, margin, slopes and deep- water basins, in order to achieve goals as follows: to establish a high- resolution chronological framework of carbonate platforms; to characterize the sedimentary systems in and around the platforms; to clarify the initiation, growth and demise of the platforms; to reveal the controlling factors of carbonate platforms in the South China Sea, and compare with carbonate platforms around the world.