- (News.com 6/1) Obama wants a lean, mean military machine: Barack Obama has unveiled a strategy for a leaner US military focused on countering China's rising power while signalling a shift away from large ground wars against insurgents.

- (Daily Pioneer 5/1) The dragon should breathe easy: Whether it is the border dispute along the Line of Actual Control or India’s proposal to explore the South China Sea for oil resources, the stamp of bureaucratic rigidity by China is plainly visible.

- (Atlantic Wire 5/1) The U.S. Military's New Plan to Deter China: Though President Obama's speech today announced the need for a leaner U.S. military, he emphasized that "reductions in U.S. defense spending will not -- I repeat, will not -- come at the expense of the Asia-Pacific” region. 

- (Asia News 5/1) China wants oil and gas in Vietnam’s waters, exploration to begin soon: Beijing is preparing to send a huge ship and an oil rig to start exploration, raising concerns over environmental consequences and sovereignty issues with Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

- (Asia Times 5/1) China and Japan find common ground: With North Korea and Taiwan the US could be seeking a new path of collaboration with China and excluding a strategy of encirclement rising from the recent tensions in the South China Sea and the eastern sea borders with Japan and South Korea. 

- (Bloomberg 4/1) U.S. Defense Strategy Plan Focuses on Thwarting China, Iran: The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines must combine resources to thwart any efforts by countries such as China and Iran to block America’s access to the South China Sea, the Persian Gulf and other strategic regions.

- (Manila Bulletin 4/1) 'Spratlys' remains a sensitive issue: And as 2011 drew to a close, China seemed to have softened up, declaring that it was open to the suggestion of a joint exploration of the area.

- (Chosunilbo 4/1) Chinese Aircraft Carrier to Be Commissioned 'Soon': China's first aircraft carrier is likely to be commissioned officially early this year, according to press reports.

- (Eurasia Review 3/1) Ensuring safety ­at ­sea ­the ­southern ­ocean and ­the ­south china ­sea ­analysis:

- (Tehelka 3/1) 2012, an Asian love story: foresees how India and Japan would get closer this year because of China.

- (Diplomat 4/1) ASEAN Predictions for 2012: China will bring back the charm: Through its belligerent approach to the South China Sea issue and, to some extent, the Mekong River, Beijing has scared many Southeast Asian nations enough that they have welcomed back a greater role for the United States in the region, even though their populations haven’t exactly become pro-American.

- (Japan Times 3/1) Chinese military bases are about more than just naval supplies and protecting trade routes: So finally it is out in the open. China will be setting up its first military base abroad in Seychelles to "seek supplies and recuperate" facilities for its navy; Solid alliances key as diplomatic challenges loom: "Japan-U.S. relations are the base, not only for Japan but for the whole Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand, because China is becoming more assertive in the South China Sea," Nakajima said.

- (Chosunilbo 3/1) S.Korea Steps Up Defense Buildup as China's Military Power Grows: South Korea's military is working hard to deal with China's growing presence. In preparation for the deployment of China's first aircraft carrier, for example, it is developing a supersonic anti-vessel cruise missile. It is also considering producing small submarines that are difficult to detect in shallow waters like the West Sea.

- (Channel News Asia 2/1) ASEAN welcomes US re-engagement in the region: "I think the US has also seen that that is beneficial to them because this is the market, this is the where the consumers are, (and) if they want to export, if they want to sell, this is where they have to focus on. So I think the absence of the US in the past has been an anomaly."