This paper presents a general review of main contents and characteristics of all versions of the code for the seismic design of water transport engineering in China,and expounds the design ideas and methods of the code for the seismic design of main port engineering works abroad. Considering the current situation of related codes for the seismic design both in China and abroad,this paper puts forward the prospect for the development of the seismic design for the water transport engineering which is characterized by multi-level earthquake motions and performance-based design in China.