A look at recent developments in the South
China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons. The waters are a major shipping route for global commerce and are rich in fish and possible oil and gas reserves. Japanese media say officials are concerned China will seek to craft a South China Sea code of conduct with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that will seek to exclude countries viewed by
Beijing as hostile interlopers, such as
Japan and the United States.