-(Foreign Policy 26/7) China's Military Moment: A window of opportunity is closing in the South China Sea. Will Beijing strike?

-(Foreign Policy 26/7) 5 Flashpoints in the South China Sea: SANSHA CITY; REED BANK; MISCHIEF REEF; SCARBOROUGH SHOALS; TAIPING ISLAND

-(Senate 25/7) Senator Webb: China’s Military and Governmental Expansion into South China Sea May Be a “Violation of International Law”: “They claim that these issues will only be resolved bilaterally, one nation to another. Why? Because they can dominate any nation in this region. This is a violation, I think quite arguably, of international law,” said Senator Webb

-(Reuters 25/7) China's hawks gaining sway in South China sea dispute: China has adopted a more aggressive stance in recent weeks on territorial disputes in the South China Sea as hard-line officials and commentators call on Beijing to take a tougher line with rival claimants

-(Stratfor 25/7) Hydrocarbon Exploration and Politics in the South China Sea: Exploration and production projects can be used to claim territory in the heavily disputed sea.

-(Eurasia Review 25/7) South China Sea Tensions: China Declares Sovereignty Over Part Of Spratly Islands: China has unilaterally proclaimed its sovereignty over some of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, putting itself on the brink of a diplomatic war with at least two of its neighbors

-(Abs-cbnnews 25/7) Will the US defend Philippines if China attacks?: The US military might not come to the Philippines' aid if Chinese forces attack Filipino ships and claimed territory in the disputed Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, international affairs experts have warned.

-(Abs-cbnnews 25/7) Armed clashes loom in West Philippine Sea: Heightened militarization, hardline nationalism, and countries' refusal to meet halfway to settle their differences over territory in the SCS are an explosive mix that could result in armed clashes in the disputed waters of the region

-(Nytimes 24/7) Nations at Impasse Over South China Sea, Group Warns: The disputes between China and four of its Southeast Asian neighbors over claims in the South China Sea have become so intense, the prospect of open conflict is becoming more likely

-(Crf 24/7) South China Sea: From Bad to Worse?: Tensions in the South China Sea have risen to their highest level in at least two years in the wake of the disastrous breakup of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting

(State.gov 24/7) Daily Press Briefing: Spokesperson Victoria Nuland “We remain concerned should there be any unilateral moves of this kind that would seem to prejudge an issue that we have said repeatedly can only be solved by negotiation, by dialogue, and by a collaborative diplomatic process among all of the claimants”

-(WP 24/7) Philippine senators approve pact allowing Australian troops to engage in combat exercises: The Philippine Senate on Tuesday ratified an accord that would allow Australian troops to train in combat exercises with Filipino forces in the country

-(Focustaiwan 24/7) Taiwan reinforces military deployment in South China Sea: Taiwan's military is standing ready to deploy mortars and anti-aircraft guns on Taiping Island in the South China Sea

-(Time 24/7) China’s Newest City Raises Threat of Conflict in South China Sea: The move, combined with an earlier announcement about the islands' militarization, further raises tensions in this geopolitical hot spot

-(Crisisgroup 24/7) Stirring up the South China Sea (II): Regional Responses: The extent and vagueness of China’s claims to the South China Sea, along with its assertive approach, have rattled other claimants

-(Reuters 24/7) China plays cards close to chest in military transparency bid: China showed off an elite helicopter unit to foreign media on Tuesday in its latest bid to address concerns about its growing military

-(Reuters 23/7) Philippines refuses to budge on South China Sea row: Aquino asked the Filipino people to unite behind his government's efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully

-(Thejakartaglobe 23/7) Jamil Maidan Flores: On South China Sea, Two Elephants in the Room: Asean is caught between the devil and the South China Sea.

-(Thediplomat 23/7) China Deploying “Military Garrison” to South China Sea? No matter how one looks at it, such moves are by no means reactive. The time when China relied mostly on fishing boats to enforce its claims in the South China Sea could soon be over

-(Taiwantoday 23/7) ROC reaffirms South China Sea sovereignty: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed ROC sovereignty over four island groups in the South China Sea July 20

-(NYT 23/7) China Sends Troops to Disputed Islands: The Central Military Commission, China’s most powerful military body, has approved the deployment of a garrison of soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army to guard disputed islands claimed by China and Vietnam in the South China Sea

-(Bangkokpost 23/7) Don’t blame Cambodia for Asean bust-up: Putting all the blame on Cambodia is not entirely fair. Instead it should be said that China is the culprit.

-(Peopledaily 23/7) Protests erupt in Vietnam as S.China Sea spat continues: About 200 people staged on Sunday a protest in Hanoi, Vietnam against China - the third this month - over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, amid rising tensions

-(Nationmultimedia 23/7) Some reflections on the dilemma in South China Sea: The latest flare-up in tensions on the South China Sea issue was demonstrated both on-site in the form of physical stand-off between the ships, military and otherwise, of some claimant states in the disputed islets and waters

-(Csmonitor 22/7) China moves to formally garrison South China Sea: Despite protests from other Asian countries, China's military is making moves to up their presence in the disputed South China Sea

-(Xinhua 22/7)Legislators elected in newly established city in South China Sea: The newly established city of Sansha in the South China Sea on Sunday announced a list of 45 deputies to the city people's congress