- (Rediff News 18/10) India and Vietnam: The great game in the East: Given the importance of Vietnam and its perpetual fear of big brother China, India must improve its relations with all the ASEAN countries.

- (ABS-CBN 19/10) PH Navy chief eyes 2nd US warship: “Buying equipment is the easiest thing to do. The more difficult part is the capability of people because for so long we were concentrated on helping in the counter-insurgency effort. Now we’re shifting to external defense and a conventional navy. That needs a re-adjustment of the skills of our people and that doesn’t happen overnight.” 

- (Asia One 19/10) Manila apologises to China over South China Sea incident: after one of its warships accidentally rammed a small Chinese fishing boat in disputed waters in the South China Sea, a defence department spokesman said on Wednesday.

- (Diplomat 20/10) A South China Sea Plan: First, the disputes would be contained in clearly marked areas, rather than being expanded arbitrarily. Second, agreeing on what is actually in dispute would reduce mismatched expectations among claimants, which would, in turn, reduce tensions and the likelihood of incidents involving the use of force; Is China a Scorpion?: Can China help itself when smaller neighbours defy its will? For me, Beijing’s behaviour over the past couple of years conjures up the classic Aesop fable ‘The Scorpion and the Frog.’ 

- (Guampdn 19/10) Business may temper China's claims: Washington and Beijing are "currently locked" in their "mutually dependent credit and consumption embrace" and their relationship will not "end in tears any time soon."

- (First Post 18/10) India must be wary of China’s shadow in Vietnam oil deals: By “core interest”, China means an issue on which no compromise on the question of sovereignty is possible.

- (Foreign Policy 18/10) People's Daily responds to Clinton on 'Pacific century': China's state-run People's Daily has an interesting editorial today responding to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's piece in the new issue of FP, which argues that the United States needs to make a strategic pivot toward East Asia in its foreign-policy priorities. 

- (Phil Star 19/10) 'China not keen on having binding code of conduct': My evidence for saying this is when Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told ASEAN that China is to work with the group at an appropriate time and when the condition is ripe,” Wain said.

- (Hindu 15/10) A vision for the Indian Ocean: Though three recent developments in the region including piracy and terrorism are major challenges, New Delhi's conception of a suitable politico-strategic environment is fairly clear.

- (Jakarta Post 18/10) Asian maritime geopolitics and Indonesian security: Being the largest Southeast Asian state and a geographically maritime country, Indonesia can spearhead some efforts. 

- (Diplomat 18/10) How Vietnam Sees China: Essentially, most analysts agree that Vietnam can’t go on upsetting China without longer lasting repercussions. But with Vietnam also reaching out to potential Chinese rivals like India, including through an oil and gas exploration agreement in the South China Sea, Hanoi may also have to learn to balance an increasingly antagonistic China.

- (UPI 17/10) China heats up stance on South China Sea: Vietnam faces a difficult choice on the issue, sources told the Times of India newspaper. If it cancels the exploration contract with India, it could have repercussions on oil deals with other countries; yet it is hard for Hanoi to resist pressures from China, a major trade partner.

- (Maritime Security/Strait Times 17/10) China Faces New Wave Of Dispute: To Asean, Beijing seems to be following its usual pattern, switching gears to an ‘all-out cooperation mode’, as one South-east Asian official puts it, in an effort to counter international criticism of the country’s alleged bullying in the South China Sea.

- (Phil Star 17/10) China maintaining strategic ambiguity: A “strategic ambiguity” seems to be working in favor of China amid calls for it to clarify its claims over the South China Sea.
- (Inquirer 17/10) Philippines unfazed by Taiwan Spratlys missile plan: Defence department spokesman Zosimo Jesus Paredes said the country enjoyed good relations with Taiwan and believed its plan to supply missiles to coastguard units in the areas it claims was not a threat to the Philippines.

- (Taipei Times 17/10) Philippines airs concerns over missile plan: Taiwanese military's plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles on Taiping Island (太平島) in the South China Sea could fuel tensions in the region and be seen as an act of aggression by other claimants to a series of disputed islets.

- (Reuters 16/10) REFILE-China paper warns India against Vietnam oil deal: India is playing with fire by agreeing to explore for oil with Vietnam in the disputed South China Sea, a major Chinese newspaper said on Sunday.

- (Business Line 16/10) China sees red on India's oil exploration deal with Vietnam: “Just one day after signing an agreement on ground rules to resolve maritime disputes in Beijing, Hanoi reached an agreement with New Delhi for joint exploration. It is hard to tell if this shows a double-dealing mentality from Hanoi”

- (Financial Times 16/10) Tensions flare over oil in South China Sea:  

- (Time of India 16/10) Vietnam under pressure from China to cancel oil deal with India: Ongoing parley between Vietnam's communist party head Nguyen Phu Trong and Chinese leaders clearly suggest that Beijing is pressuring Hanoi to cancel its oil exploration deal with India for joint exploration of the disputed areas in South China Sea. 

- (The Statesman 16/10) 'China must prevent reckless Indian ambition in S China Sea': “India has its ambitions in the South China Sea. However, its national strength cannot provide solid support for such ambitions yet. Furthermore, this is not India's urgent task in building itself into a great power”

- (Zeenews 16/10) US pressing China to reduce risk of military miscues: Hillary: "Over the last two-and-a-half years, one of my top priorities has been to identify and expand areas of common interest, to work with China to build mutual trust, and to encourage China's active efforts in global problem-solving,"

- (Tribune 17/10) What is America’s great game?: The South China Sea is being slowly converted into a battlefield for control and influence.