Abstract： Major maritime countries regard the joint maritime search and rescue (SAR) system as a complex systematic project and have been building it in that way. This paper analyzed region-based joint maritime SAR systems at home and abroad, pointed out existing problems in China’s current maritime SAR system, and put forward five suggestions for building a joint air-sea SAR system based on maritime region division in China, namely, optimizing division of maritime SAR region, straightening out chain of SAR command and coordination, strengthening professional SAR forces, enhancing air-sea SAR trainings, and perfecting laws and regulations for maritime SAR.