Lawyers

• Tokyo, Manila to agree framework for Japanese military aid: sources

  The Japanese and Philippine leaders will agree this week on a deal paving the way for Tokyo to supply Manila with used military equipment, possibly including aircraft that could be deployed to patrol the disputed South China Sea, sources said.

• China says not aware of plan to discuss South China Sea at APEC

  China is not aware of any plan to discuss the disputed South China Sea at an Asia Pacific leaders' summit next week in Manila, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday, amid tensions between China and the Philippines over the waters.

• Top diplomats set to meet to discuss China, Japan, South Korea summit

  The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea are preparing to meet this month for their first talks in nearly three years, in a bid to resolve tension over Japan's wartime past and discuss a three-way summit.

• U.S., China to discuss repatriation of Chinese fugitives

  Senior U.S. officials will meet in August with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the possibility of repatriating Chinese officials who have fled to America with billions of dollars of allegedly stolen government assets, according to a State Department official.

• Hard diplomacy ahead despite China showing its softer side

  From a military rules-of-the-road agreement with Washington to $20 billion in loans for Southeast Asia, Beijing has set aside the tensions of recent years to present a softer side to the world in the last week.

• Hong Kong protesters told to clear streets or risk arrest

  Hong Kong's acting chief executive on Tuesday called on pro-democracy protesters to clear sites they have occupied for more than six weeks and warned holdouts they could face arrest, a move that could swell protest numbers.

• Japan's Abe urges Putin to ensure Ukraine ceasefire holds

  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to play a constructive role in ensuring that a shaky ceasefire in Ukraine holds.

• Kerry says U.S., Russia to exchange info on Ukraine crisis

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that the United States and Russia had agreed to exchange information about the situation on the Russia-Ukraine border.

• Amnesty calls for release of pro-HK activists before APEC summit

  China should release at least 76 people, detained on the mainland for supporting Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, before the start of next week's Asia-Pacific leaders summit in Beijing, rights group Amnesty International said on Friday.

• China, Japan set aside isle row, paving way for leaders to meet

  China and Japan agreed on Friday to work on improving ties and signaled willingness to put a bitter row over disputed islands on the back burner, paving the way for their leaders to meet at an Asian-Pacific summit next week.

• Russia's Lavrov to hold talks with Kerry in China: agencies

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing on Saturday before an Asia-Pacific summit starts, Russian news agencies said on Friday.

• China's Xinhua pours cold water on idea of Xi-Abe talks

  China's official Xinhua news agency on Monday poured cold water on the idea that the leaders of China and Japan could have formal talks on the sidelines of next week's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

• For Obama and Xi, fight against Islamic State a brief moment to agree

  When the United States and China discuss cooperating against Islamic State later this month, the most prominent outcome is likely to be less criticism of each other's anti-terrorism policies.

• China says nets 180 graft suspects in overseas manhunt

  China says it has captured 180 people suspected of committing economic crimes as part of an aggressive anti-corruption campaign targeting suspects who have fled abroad, state news agency Xinhua reported.

• Kerry in Indonesia seeking Asian support against Islamic state

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Indonesia for Joko Widodo's presidential inauguration on Monday, seeking more help from Southeast Asian leaders in the U.S.-led effort against Islamic State in the Middle East.

• Kerry seeks to warm summit mood with dinner for China's top diplomat

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed China's top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, to his Boston home on Friday for talks aimed at warming the often strained U.S.-China relationship ahead of a summit between their leaders next month.

• Japan PM Abe sends offering to Yasukuni Shrine for war dead

  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, a move that might complicate his push for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to improve frayed ties between the world's second- and third-biggest economies.