Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to expand Japan's non-combat role in armed conflicts beyond "areas around Japan" could see Tokyo becoming dragged into action in the South China Sea in support of U.S. forces, government and ruling party sources say.
China on Wednesday defended the actions of its vessels in the disputed South China Sea after the Philippines accused China's coast guard of using water cannon on Philippine fishing boats and urged Manila to increase its "education" of its fishermen.
The Hong Kong government published a long-awaited electoral blueprint for selecting the city's next leader on Wednesday, a plan enshrining China's desire for a tightly controlled poll that has angered activists and stoked talk of fresh protests.
China's Interpol office has released a list of 100 wanted economic fugitives, the ruling Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog said on Wednesday, as the government deepens its fight against suspected corrupt officials who have fled overseas.
