-(Thediplomat 23/8) Much Ado About The Sansha Garrison: Don't believe the hype: Beijing's Sansha military garrison is more of an administrative move than an arms buildup in the South China Sea.

-(Wall Street Journal 23/8) U.S. Plans New Asia Missile Defenses: A move American officials say is designed to contain threats from North Korea, but one that could also be used to counter China's military.

-(The Australian 23/8) Carr's co-operation recipe for a calmer sea: "Joint development zones are designed to facilitate equitable and mutually beneficial development -- a concept that is expressly provided for in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

-(Project-syndicate 22/8) China’s House Divided: whereas America’s problem in the world today is that domestic pressures sometimes lead to an excess of fortitude, China’s problem is that similarly constraining pressures produce foreign-policy weakness.

-(Foreign Policy 22/8) Powder Keg in the Pacific: China's new centrality as the biggest trading partner of most countries in the region means that while its neighbors are nervous about its growing military muscle and nationalist rhetoric, they are reluctant to place their economies at risk by confronting it directly."

-(Thediplomat 22/8) Taiwan and the South China Sea: Without sea control or air supremacy—operational conditions Taiwan’s increasingly outmatched air force and navy are unlikely to achieve—Taiping Island will wither in any conflict.

-(Foreign Policy Journal 22/8) A Question of Energy Security: Why China Should Devote Energy Into Regional Security: The geopolitical epicenter shift from the West to the East, already underway in the economic sphere, might further gain traction. Battle lines might be drawn but the probability of a full-scale armed conflict appears slim, so far, at least.

-(Eurasia Review 22/8) Uncertainty And Insecurity Generated By Claimants In South China Sea: Most worryingly, Beijing’s steps to the SCS more determined and aggressive than ever to assert their claims are escalating the anarchy in the SCS

-(Atimes 22/8) Island feuds challenge US' Asian ties: The West and concerned regional powers should take careful note: if and when China's political system becomes more democratic, expect it to be even more regionally assertive.

-(Guardian 21/8) China and Japan are stirring up an old animosity: In a dispute over islands, both countries are using false histories and present ambitions to stoke a dangerous nationalism

-(Channel News Asia 21/8) Japan to replace China, S. Korea, US envoys: Japan will shortly replace its ambassadors to China, South Korea and the United States in an unusual simultaneous move amid difficulties in Tokyo's dealings with all three

-(The Diplomat 21/8) South China Sea: The “Heartsea”?: The power that commanded South China Sea waters and skies, and could exclude rivals, would enjoy the advantage of easy, relatively economical strategic mobility.

-(New York Times 21/8) Dispute Over Islands Reflects Japanese Fear of China’s Rise: As Chinese warships and patrol boats have become a more frequent sight in waters near here, some islanders have begun to speak out more in support of the American and Japanese militaries, even as sentiment against United States bases remains strong.

-(National interest 21/8) The China Challenge: China today represents the most fundamental geopolitical challenge facing the United States, and it has been a long time since the need for American boldness and imagination has been as acute as it is now in light of the Beijing challenge.

-(Taipei Times 21/8) Taiwan plans live-fire drill on Taiping in South China Sea: Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is scheduled to carry out a live-fire exercise from Sept. 1 through Sept. 5 on Taiping

-(Bloomberg 20/8) China Protests Erupt as Japanese Group Lands on Disputed Island: Protests erupted in China and Hong Kong over the weekend as Japanese activists landed on an island in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, intensifying a dispute between Asia’s two biggest economies.

-(Japan Focus) ASEAN’S Code of Conduct in the South China Sea: A Litmus Test for Community-Building?: Current indications are that ASEAN will pursue the implementation of the DOC and discussions on the COC with China in tandem.

-(Bangkokpost 20/8) Yeo: China-India bridge role suits Asean best: The 10 members of Asean should stick together to tap the continued growth of China and India, put behind them the recent failure of diplomacy in Cambodia, and instead seek to be a bridge between Asia’s two economic giants, says Singapore’s former foreign minister.

-(Wall Street Journal 19/8) The South China Sea's Gathering Storm: As the region has grown more prosperous, the sovereignty issues have become more fierce

-(Financial Times 19/8) Anti-Japanese protests sweep China: The biggest anti-Japan protests in seven years flared across China yesterday deepening a diplomatic crisis over disputed islands in the resources-rich East China Sea.

-(NewYork Times 19/8) Anti-Japan Protests Erupt in China Over Disputed Island: Anti-Japanese protests spread across China over the weekend, and the landing of Japanese activists on a disputed island on Sunday sharply intensified tensions between the two countries.

-(Thediplomat 18/8) Why the South China Sea is not a “Sudetenland Moment”: It was likely such a calculus that led to last week’s State Department warning to Beijing