China has accused Washington of turning the South China Sea into a powder keg and says the U.S. should stay out. FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2015, file photo, Chinese Coast Guard members approach Filipino fishermen as they confront each other off Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, also called the West Philippine Sea. ___TRIBUNAL DECISION ON JULY 12Five judges of a U.N. tribunal will deliver July 12 their landmark ruling on South China Sea disputes — and Beijing is already dismissing a potentially unfavorable outcome. A look at some recent key 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 gas and oil reserves. ___US BEEFING UP FORCES IN THE PACIFICWith an eye toward the South China Sea, U.S. forces are planning to deploy a second Navy-Marine amphibious group in the region beginning in 2019.

Source: Washington Post July 04, 2016 02:26 UTC