-(Rappler 22/8) Duterte: Why should I defend SCS sandbar? Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says the presence of Chinese ships in Sandy Cay near Pag-asa Island does not count as 'invasion'.

-(NHK 21/8) Japan: $500 mil. for Indo-Pacific coastal nations to enhance the maritime security capabilities of those countries.

-(Eastwest 20/8) Leveraging U.S. Military Power in South China Sea, to establish an accommodation with China that forestalls additional and 2a5725ed6526a44820843395b61ccc94-4(1).jpgpotentially destabilizing militarization in the SCS.

-(USNI 20/8) USS John McCain Collides with Chemical Tanker in the South China Sea; 10 Sailors Missing, 4 Evacuated