SOUTH CHINA SEA WATCH: US angers China as UN ruling looms

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2016 file photo, the USS William P. Lawrence guided missile destroyer, foreground, awaits refueling from a tanker, top left, in the waters off Coronado, Calif. The U.S. has upset China by sending the destroyer close to China's largest man-made island in disputed South China Sea waters. Beijing responded by saying it will step up its own patrols. The USS William P. Lawrence made “innocent passage” on Wednesday, May 11, within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of Fiery Cross Reef, the limit of what international law regards as an island's territorial sea. The likely election of Rodrigo Duterte in the new Philippines could undermine his predecessor’s policy that was unusually hostile to Beijing and relied on U.S. military backing. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2016 file photo, the USS William P. Lawrence guided missile destroyer, foreground, awaits refueling from a tanker, top left, in the waters off Coronado, Calif. The U.S. has upset China by sending the destroyer close to China's largest man-made island in disputed South China Sea waters. Beijing responded by saying it will step up its own patrols. The USS William P. Lawrence made “innocent passage” on Wednesday, May 11, within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of Fiery Cross Reef, the limit of what international law regards as an island's territorial sea. The likely election of Rodrigo Duterte in the new Philippines could undermine his predecessor’s policy that was unusually hostile to Beijing and relied on U.S. military backing. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

By Associated Press May 16, 2016 6 min read

A look at some recent key developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters rich in fish and potential gas and oil reserves:

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest key developments in the South China Sea, home to several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region.

___

US RILES CHINA WITH 3RD SAIL-BY