-(PhilStar 25/4) 4 airports 'no fly zone' during Obama visit: The government today announced that it has designated four airports in northern Philippines, including the Ninoy Aquino International Airport ( NAIA), as "no fly zone" for a prescribed period between the arrival and departure of US President Barack Obama.
-(The Diplomat 25/4) Courting Asia: China’s Maritime Silk Route vs America’s Pivot: Could the revitalization of an ancient trade route help ameliorate territorial disputes? –(Global Journalist 25/4) Island disputes heighten tension between China and neighbors
-(New Strait Times 25/4) Obama's visit will give Malaysia assurance over South China Sea dispute: President Barack Obama's visit to Malaysia this weekend will provide assurance to Malaysia in terms of national security in regard to the territorial dispute over the Nine-Dash Line in the South China Sea, said the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia.
-(Indian Times 25/4) China-ASEAN pact on South China Sea region can bring some relief to India: A pact on resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea region could be in the pipeline bringing some relief to India that has wide-ranging strategic and economic interests in the region.
-(GMA Network 25/4) PH vows to beef up PHL's air power: President Benigno Aquino III on Friday vowed to beef up the air power of the Philippines in the middle of the territorial dispute with China.
-(Vietnamplus 24/4) US scholars concerned over East Sea, East China Sea disputes: Experts from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent think tank in the US, have expressed their concerns over the escalating territorial disputes between China and its neighbours in the East Sea and the East China Sea. -(QDND 24/4) Myanmar hosts int’l workshop on East Sea
-(The Wall Street Journal 24/4) China's Dismaying New Claims in the South China Sea: Indonesia will strengthen its military forces in the Natuna Islands now that Beijing wants to take them over. –(The Straits Times 24/4) South China Sea: Is Jakarta no longer neutral?
-(The National Interest 24/4) Obama's Goal in Asia: Reassure Nervous Allies: For the president, the real potential payoff from this trip will come in the visits to Malaysia and the Philippines—particularly the former. –(PhilStar 23/4) Philippines to clarify alliance with US during Obama visit amid China row
-(LA Times 23/4) Obama begins Asia tour with informal sushi diplomacy in Tokyo: President Obama arrived Tokyo on Wednesday to begin an eight-day tour of Asian allies designed to assure leaders that they have a strong U.S. backup at a time of rising tensions in the region.
-(Vietnamplus 23/4) ASEAN, China hold 20th SOM on strategic partnership: Senior officials from ASEAN and China gathered in the Thai seaside resort of Pattaya on April 21-22 to review the two sides’ partnership and the implementation of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
-(Reuters 23/4) Obama reassures Japan, other allies on China ahead of visit: U.S. President Barack Obama has said Washington welcomes China's rise but that engagement with Beijing would not come at the expense of its Asian allies - as Chinese state media greeted his imminent arrival in the region with a broadside accusing the United States of wanting to "cage" the emerging superpower.
-(The Bangkok Post 23/4) South China Sea code of conduct 'may take a while': It appears that Asean and China will take time to set up a code of conduct as the norm of practice in the South China Sea, as both sides have differences and the process still has a long way to go.
-(The Daily Star 23/4) Is Beijing slowly swallowing the South China Sea? Tensions between China and the Philippines spiked in March when a small civilian boat was confronted by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel about 160 kilometers from the Philippine coast.
-(PhilStar 23/4) Filipinos saw China blocking fishermen from shoal: Chinese coast guard vessels repeatedly blocked or chased Filipino and Vietnamese fishermen from a disputed shoal where they previously had only tried to block military supply runs, a Philippine marine officer said yesterday.
-(AP 22/4) Pacific Navies Agree on Code of Conduct for Unplanned Encounters: President Barack Obama's travels through Asia in coming days aim to reassure partners about the renewed U.S. commitment to the region, with an eye both to China's rising assertiveness and the fast-growing markets that are the center of gravity for global growth. –(Asia times 22/4) Obama runs China’s pivot gauntlet
-(Reuters 22/4) Search for MH370 reveals a military vulnerability for China: When Chinese naval supply vessel Qiandaohu entered Australia's Albany Port this month to replenish Chinese warships helping search for a missing Malaysian airliner, it highlighted a strategic headache for Beijing - its lack of offshore bases and friendly ports to call on.
-(BBC News 22/4) The US and China sign deal to ease maritime tension: The United States and countries bordering the Pacific have signed a deal to reduce the chance of accidental clashes at sea. –(Todayonline 23/4) Asia-Pacific navies sign sea code to help prevent conflict-(The Nation 22/4) Seeking a bridge over troubled waters: Today's negotiations between Asean and China for a code of conduct in the South China Sea could herald a peaceful future for the region.
-(Xinhua 21/4) No timeframe for South China Sea code of conduct: The drafting of the South China Sea code of conduct (COC) is a working process without a timeframe, the director-general of the ASEAN Affairs Department of Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Xinhua Monday.
-(Eastasiaforum 21/4) South China Sea on the rocks: the Philippines’ arbitration request: Were the Tribunal to proceed to a determination of the status of the identified features, even in the face of determined non-participation by China, there would be much benefit for international law and the future resolution of issues in the area.
-(InterAksyon 21/4) China has a sitting judge in ITLOS, who wrote legal article on 9-dash line: A Chinese legal scholar, who wrote an article about the 9-dash line published by the American Journal of International Law (AJIL), is a sitting judge in the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) where the Philippines has filed a complaint against China’s “excessive claim” in the South China Sea.
–(SCMP 21/4) Obama's quest to cement Asian ties: Obama is certain to redouble efforts during his visit to the region to reassure allies that the US pivot is very much alive. -(Taipei Times 20/4) Obama to boost US’ ‘rebalance’ to Asia with diplomacy tour
-(PhilStar 21/4) Philippine Navy to build own radars: The Philippine Navy will build its own radar sets instead of acquiring from third party defense suppliers, an official said Monday.
-(PhilStar 21/4) Asia seeks Obama assurance in sea row: As US President Barack Obama travels through Asia this week, he will confront a region that’s warily watching the crisis in Ukraine through the prism of its own territorial tensions with China.
-(PhilStar 20/4) China explains why it rejects UN arbitration: Whether the Philippines is ready or not, it is headed for a confrontation with China over the possession of some isles, shoals, reefs and low-tide protrusions in the South China Sea.
-(Bangkok Post 19/4) COC to dominate Asean-China meet: Thailand will push to speed up the drafting process for a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea during a meeting in Pattaya next week.
