A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves: EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest developments in the South China Sea, home to several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region. China says it was routine combat drills, yet the deployment of the aircraft carrier Liaoning’s battle group in the Western Pacific and into the South China Sea has made neighbors jittery about Beijing flexing its muscles.