http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Chinese-Navy-submarines-L-and-warship...

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is getting the U.S. involved in a complex, international dispute over a chain of islands in
the South China Sea.
China and nearby Asian states have long made competing claims as to who
controls the strategically located islands. Speaking at a meeting of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nation in Hanoi, Vietnam, Clinton
said that the U.S. has a "national interest" in resolving the issue
peacefully. Here's what's going on, why it matters, and what could
happen next, according to key journalists and experts.

China's Aggressive Agenda"For decades, China has sparred with Southeast Asian nations over control of 200 tiny islands, rocks and
spits of sand that dot these waters," The New York Times' Mark Landler explains.
"China's maritime ambitions have expanded along with its military and
economic muscle. It has long laid claim to islands in the South China Sea because they are rich in oil and natural gas deposits. And it has put American officials on notice that it will not brook
foreign interference in the waters off its southeastern coast, which it views as a 'core interest' of sovereignty." (Are the U.S. and China making up?)