"Secretary of State John Kerry arrives here on Saturday amid rising tensions over China's expansion of shoals and islets in areas of the South China Sea claimed by at least three countries. A senior Pentagon official said this week that the United States might consider sending ships and aircraft to within 12 nautical miles of built-up reefs near the Philippines, an American ally, to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of navigation in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes...State Department officials said Mr. Kerry would arrive in Beijing with a similarly tough message: China's ramped up island-building campaign threatens relations at a time when both countries are seeking to cooperate on several issues, including military ties, bilateral investment and climate change," reports The New York Times.