-(The Jakarta Post 3/5) China closer to South China Sea Code of Conduct: At the joint press conference held after the meeting with Chines Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indonesia Minister Marty Natalegawa applauded his Chinese counterpart saying the Asian superpower had shown indication that it agreed to pursue a peaceful solution to the territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea.

-(The Diplomat 3/5) America and the South China Sea Challenge: America must make hard choices and put forth the effort necessary to ensure that the S. China Sea remains peaceful in 2013 and beyond.

-(QDND 3/5) Vietnamese and Japanese navies to step up exchange: Both General Thanh and Admiral Kawano Katsutoshi agreed on the importance, in the coming time, of the two navies exchanging experiences so as to boost solidarity and friendship between them, as well as promoting peace, stability and development in the region and the rest of the world. 

 -(The Diplomat 2/5) ASEAN Summit in Brunei Finds More Common Ground: By Summit’s end the relief was palpable that ASEAN had managed to avoid a repeat of last year’s public squabbling and put on a business-like performance with a unified front to the 600 million people who make up the bloc. If nothing else, this must give organizers something to smile about. –(InterAksyon 2/5) Indonesia, China 'committed to peaceful solution' to South China Sea issue

-(PhilStar 2/5) China imposes fishing restrictions around Scarborough Shoal: Surveillance ships deployed by China in the Panatag Shoal are imposing a 24-kilometer wide ban on fishing in the area, according to some fishermen in Masinloc, Zambales. -(Xinhua 2/5) Chinese FM meets ASEAN secretary-general on cooperation

-(ABS-CBN News 1/5) China: Solve territorial rows through dialogue: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday said China wants to resolve territorial disputes with member countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations through dialogue. (Asia Times 30/4) ASEAN reboots on South China Sea

-(Vietnamplus 30/4) Vietnam requests China to stop wrong doings on Hoang Sa: Vietnam asks China to end its wrong actions on Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in order to not affect peace and stability in the East Sea, said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi.

 -(ASEAN Briefing 30/4) ASEAN and Chinese Foreign Ministers to Meet Over South China Sea Claims: In the aftermath of the ASEAN summit in Brunei, it appears that conscious steps have been taken to make progress towards lowering tensions in the South China Sea, with China proposing a meeting with ASEAN Foreign Ministers to discuss a code of conduct governing the area. (ChinaDaily 29/4) ASEAN, Chinese FMs to meet over S China Sea disputes

-(The JakartaPost 30/4)ASEAN’s procrastination in the South China Sea: A South China Sea discussion was expected to be the highlight of the 22nd ASEAN Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan last week, considering the increased assertiveness of both China and claimant states from Southeast Asia, but the discussion did not materialize.

-(Vietnamlus 29/4) VN exercises sovereignty over Hoang Sa, Truong Sa: Vietnam has established and exercised its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in a peaceful and continuous manner in line with international law at least since the 17 th century. Historical documents on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa displayed

alt-(Defense News 28/4) Chinese Signaling for Conflict: A Predictive Pattern: As things heat up in the East China Sea over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, it might be wise to know the signals China uses to warn of war and how Beijing handles crisis management. (Xinhua 29/4) Chinese fleet returns after South China Sea patrols