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.
Chinese President
Xi Jinping will visit neighboring
Myanmar this week amid efforts to strengthen relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Myanmar has also been a reliable backer, along with Laos and Cambodia, of China's campaign to quash criticism within ASEAN of its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.