New Developments Before the 2008 financial crisis,and especially before the U.S.began its "return" to Asia,relations between China,the U.S.and China's neighbors in East Asia were not a major issue.However,since 2010,relations have been stirred up.Take the Cheonan incident,the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island,the Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan,the Huangyan Island confrontation between China and the Philippines,and the South China Sea issue,for example.Sino-U.S.relations have grown more complex,and sovereignty disputes between China and some of its neighbors have intensified.At the same time,relations between the U.S.and most of China'sneighbors have improved.The U.S.' decision to "pivot" to Asia contains many objectives.