- (The Diplomat 21/7) Filipino Spratly Tweak: Almost immediately after this year’s ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) began in Bali, with the hotly contested Spratly Islands firmly on the agenda, members agreed to agree on what they had agreed to previously, the Philippines put their foot in it, and China reacted with familiar belligerence.

- (Youtube) China and the Philippines tense over disputed Island 

- (Wall Street Journal 21/7) Asia’s Mistrust of China: Fear of Beijing is based on its past behavior and strategic culture. The leaders who run the Party's security apparatus are ascendant, and they are using appeals to nationalism as a way to bolster social stability; U.N. Approves China Sea-Floor Plan: “…a United Nations body approved Beijing’s plan to explore a swath of ocean floor between Africa and Antarctica for metal deposits.” 

- (China Daily 22/7) For order in South China Sea: “The root of the ongoing South China Sea dispute is the unilateral actions of Vietnam and the Philippines. The two countries have intensified their efforts to exploit resources and occupy parts of Nansha and Xisha islands, and dismantled plaques China had set up on the Nansha Islands to signify its maritime boundary”; US creates the storm over South China Sea: “To decipher Chinese feelings over the flurry of news on rifts over the South China Sea right now, nothing is more accurate than this Chinese proverb: The tree craves calm, but the wind will not subside”; China ‘not responsible’ for South China Sea disputes;

- (Monsters and Critics 21/7) ANALYSIS: South-East Asia looks to US for support on its sea claims.

- (Foreign Policy 21/7) A step forward, then a step back in South China Sea dispute

- (China.org 21/7) Chinese submersible dives 4,027 meters: A China-made manned submersible has successfully reached 4,027 meters under sea level  on July 21, 2011 during a test dive in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean, CCTV reported.

- (Inquirer Global Nation/AFP 20/7) Asean chief says world is watching West Philippine Sea‎: Asia must find ways to resolve its territorial disputes if it wants to play a more central role in world affairs,  ASEAN chief Surin Pitsuwan said Wednesday.

-  (Xinhua 19/7) Indonesian president urges hard work for ASEAN:  Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reminded the ASEAN foreign ministers and officials that the grouping must continue to work hard to achieve its targets, a press statement said here on Tuesday;  China expresses protest over Filipino lawmakers’ landing on Chinese island: “The move of the Philippine side seriously infringed China’s territorial sovereignty.”

- (Asian Journal 20/7) Filipino lawmakers visit disputed Spratlys, defy China‎.

- (AFP/Channel News Asia 20/7) Philippine MPs visit Spratlys despite China warning: Philippine lawmakers flew to an island in the disputed Spratly chain on Wednesday, despite warnings from China that the trip would destabilise the region and damage ties.

- (Eurasia Review 20/7) Sino-Vietnamese South China Sea War, Blood Oil And American Interest‎: “To solve the territorial dispute, Sino-Vietnamese war seems inevitable. It’s also the most cost-effective way for China to sort out the mess once and for all. The only thing that matters right now is the timing and how the US will factor in this event.”

- (State.gov 20/7) Remarks on India and the United States: A Vision for the 21st Century:

- (Voice of Russia 20/7) Hillary Clinton as a mediator between China and ASEAN?:

-  (The Hindu Business Line 21/7) Dealing with Chinese aggression: Tensions have escalated between China and Vietnam in recent months, with the US and Asean taking serious note. India should strengthen strategic ties with Vietnam, while responding strongly to China's dubious border claims.

- (Korea Joong Ang Daily 21/7) China used Kim’s ear to get at U.S.: “China wants the U.S. to stop its intervention in the South China Sea and the U.S.’ stance is it can’t because it is such an important area. So, there is conflict between the two.”;  Why don’t we bare our fangs?

-  (Wall Street Journal 20/7) China to Dive for Buried Treasures: “…China and Russia apply for rights to explore newly discovered deep-sea deposits thought to hold larger quantities of silver, gold, copper, zinc and lead in particular.”

- (CSIS 19/7) South China Sea Diplomacy: More needs to be done; Tensions flare in the South China Sea 

-(FT 19/7) US senators warn Beijing on South China Sea

- (Asia Times Online 21/7) Vietnam leaders taken to task on China: “Some prominent people have refused to fall in line. On July 10, 20 well-known intellectuals signed and sent a petition to the politburo of the Communist Party and the chairman of the National Assembly urging fundamental changes in governance. The recent crisis was, they argued, just a symptom of a more dangerous national malaise. Without radical reforms, Chinese ‘penetration and disruption of all aspects of our economic, political and cultural life’ would continue until the nation was reduced to vassal status.”

-  (The Diplomat 20/7) Negotiating the South China Sea by Huy Duong: These three considerations show that China’s approach of ‘bilateral negotiations’ isn’t aimed at actually resolving the sovereignty disputes. From the point of view of strategy, the absence of a settlement gives China, as the claimant with overwhelming hard and soft power, increasing opportunities to strengthen its controls and weaken those of the others. Another reason for the bilateral approach is that if the Southeast Asian claimants deal with China individually, they’ll be more likely to succumb one by one to China’s superior strength.

- (Nghiencuubiendong.vn 20/7) Philippine Paper on ASEAN – China Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation in the South China Sea

- (Financial Times 19/7) US senators warn Beijing on S China Sea

- (Inquirer Global Nation 19/7) ‘Serious concern’ as West Philippine Sea tensions rise: “We discussed in depth the recent developments in the South China Sea and expressed serious concern over the recent incidents.”

- (VOA 19/7) ASEAN Foreign Ministers Discuss South China Sea Dispute: ASEAN foreign ministers spent much of their meeting Tuesday debating efforts to resolve conflicting claims over reserves of oil and gas in the South China Sea; ASEAN Ministers Urged to Pursue Early Agreement on China Sea: foreign ministers were urged to speed up talks with China on a binding code of conduct for the South China Sea at the start of their annual gathering in Bali Tuesday.

- (Channel News Asea 19/7) ASEAN “needs to see progress on South China Sea row”: ASEAN is expected to finalise a regional code of conduct for the South China Sea before its next summit in November.

- (Nikkei.com 19/7) Indonesian Defense Chief Seeks Multilateral Talks On Island Row: The territorial dispute in the South China Sea should be resolved through multilateral discussions that include the U.S.

- (Gulf Times 20/7) Philippines to seek UN arbitration: “The Philippines said yesterday it plans to seek UN arbitration of its conflicting claims with China over parts of the South China Sea, as tensions in the resource-rich region again rose.”

- (BBC English 19/7) Philippine MPs to visit disputed Spratly islands: “According to one of the congressmen, Walden Bello, this is a private trip to meet residents and soldiers stationed there and to support the territorial claims of the Philippines.”

- (Iquirer Global Nation 19/7) The Spratlys are worth dying for: “While these real estate may appear worthless, beneath are vast deposits of gold — black gold — oil. Natural gas is also present in huge quantities as evidenced by the Malampaya example.”

- (Reuters 19/7) The China Challenge: A strategic vision for U.S.-India relations: “Indian policymakers are scrambling to develop effective policies to cope with a rising China by simultaneously pursuing both a robust diplomatic strategy aimed at encouraging peaceful resolution of border disputes and forging strong trade and economic ties and an ambitious military modernisation campaign that will build Indian air, naval, and missile capabilities.”

- (Yonhap News 19/7) S. Korea to keep neutral stance on South China Sea dispute: “South Korea will maintain a neutral stance on rising tensions in the South China Sea at this week’s security conference of Asian and Western powers in Indonesia, officials said Tuesday.”

- (China Daily 19/7) China’s peaceful rise is beyond doubt: In fact, it is highly possible to resolve the South China Sea disputes and other issues through peaceful means. Peaceful resolution of disputes will be an important symbol of China's rise.

-  (Diplomat 19/7)  Law and the South China Sea: To help control potential armed conflicts in the South China Sea, ASEAN has recently pressed China to conclude a Code of Conduct (COC) to replace the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea that was signed between ASEAN and China in 2002.

- (New York Times 18/7) China’s Treasury Holdings Make U.S. Woes Its Own: However grim Washington’s debt and deficit negotiations may seem to Americans, the impasse is nearly as disturbing for China.

- (Council on Foreign Relations 19/7) The U.S. and China—Dialogue or Diatribe? Is it ritualized noise or does China really mean it?

 

- (Chosunilbo 19/7) Chinese Military Chief’s Rudeness Bodes Ill for the Future: “Chen’s comments were discourteous and violated diplomatic protocol.”

- (VOA 18/7) South China Sea Dispute High Priority for ASEAN: Surin says addressing the dispute among China, Taiwan and ASEAN member states Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam about competing claims to large reserves of oil and gas in the South China Sea will be a high priority for ASEAN.
- (Asia News 18/7) South China Sea: Vietnam wants ASEAN as forum for negotiations: “Vietnam now wants the issue of sovereignty to be debated in an international forum and has called on the United States and ASEAN to play a role in finding a peaceful solution through negotiations that would also guarantee free shipping in the sea”.

- (China Daily 18/7) Tensions remain even after Mullen’s visit: three major conflicts between the two sides regarding the South China Sea: the term "free navigation", US joint naval drills and Beijing’s insistance on one-on-one basis of dispute settlement.

- (The Diplomat  18/7) Why China Wants South China Sea: “...from a submariner’s perspective, the semi-closed sea is integral to China’s nuclear strategy. And without understanding the nuclear dimension of the South China Sea disputes, China’s maritime expansion makes little sense”;

 

- America’s ‘Munich Moment’?: “Another way of looking at the South China Sea, then, is this: has Beijing built up a similarly unambiguous record of aggression, rendering any compromise between the United States and China a sellout of friendly Southeast Asian governments—a result Washington ought to foresee and avert?

 

And China Daily’s feedback: America's 'Munich moment'? “It seems unlikely the United States will appoint itself spokesperson for Asian governments in the South China Sea, according to James Holmes, associate professor of strategy at the USNavalWarCollege, in an article on the website of The Diplomat on July 17, 2011”.

- (AFP 18/7) Filipinos fly flag in South China Sea: Residents are attracted there by the government-provided jobs and housing, as well as the free provisions of essentials such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, noodles and canned food.”

 

-  (GMA News 17/7) Acquisition of PHL’s biggest warship won’t alarm China — Palace: the impending arrival of the Philippines’ newest and biggest warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which will patrol areas near the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), is not likely to agitate China.

- (Project Syndicate 14/7) Building Pax Asia-Pacifica, by Fidel V. Ramos:  a more comprehensive Pax Asia-Pacifica built on inclusiveness and burden-sharing will be durable only if it is based on a balance of mutual benefits rather than on the balance of power.

- (M&C 17/7) PREVIEW: South China Sea disputes on front burner at regional meet: “Natalegawa said the Bali meeting would work on drawing up a more binding code of conduct. He said ‘I’m not pessimistic that we can make significant progress if all sides have goodwill,’. ASEAN wants to complete the negotiation for the code of conduct before a summit in November.”

- (Israel National News 17/7) Tensions Between Washington and Beijing on Many Issues: the sensitivity persists as can be gleaned from a number of recent rough spots in the relationship although China and the United States have made attempts to dampen down the tensions between them.

- (Korea Times 17/7) Seoul-Beijing Defense ties: South Korean and Chinese defense ministers have agreed to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.

- (Govtrack 15/7) Text of H. Res. 352: Calling for a peaceful and collaborative resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea