For the last few years China has become increasingly aggressive in attempting to control almost the whole of the Phillipine Sea aka South China Sea ( and Viet Nam and Brunei and other countries with a stake may have other names ).

That makes for a lot of neighbors fussed up at China, but without the combined seapower to mount any telling to China's gradualistic, but relentless encroachments on what these other countries have regarded as their waters, or as open territory...or international sea lanes.

Things got bad enough in the last couple of weeks that China has had to issue denials is was preparing for war with the Phillipines.