The New York Times reports, "More than 200 lawyers and associates have been detained, with 20 still in custody. Attorneys have been paraded on television making humiliated confessions and have been portrayed as rabble-rousing thugs. A blast of commentaries in newspapers run by the Communist Party accused them of subversion and swindles. In what lawyers call the most withering political assault on their profession in decades, the Chinese government is mounting a broad crackdown on rights attorneys, contending that they have exploited contentious cases to enrich themselves and attack the party. The beleaguered lawyers say the government's real goal is to discredit and dismantle the 'rights defense' movement, a small but audacious group of people who have used the law and public pressure to defend clients in a system stacked against them."
"China reserves the right to a 'necessary reaction' after Japan issued a defense review that called on Beijing to stop building oil and gas exploration platforms close to disputed waters in the East China Sea, the Defense Ministry has said. In the paper issued on Tuesday, Tokyo expressed concern that Chinese drills could tap reservoirs that extend into Japan's waters. 'This kind of action completely lays bare the two-faced nature of Japan's foreign policy and has a detrimental impact on peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region,' China's Defense Ministry said in a statement issued late on Tuesday. China would further evaluate Japan's defense review, or white paper, when the full text is issued and would then make a 'necessary reaction depending on the situation', it said" writes Reuters.
Reuters reports "China called on the Philippines on Wednesday to withdraw a case it has filed at a U.N. arbitration tribunal over rival claims in the South China Sea and return to bilateral negotiations. China has for years insisted that disputes with rival claimants to the South China Sea be handled bilaterally. But this month, its claims came under international legal scrutiny for the first time when the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague began hearing a suit the Philippines filed in 2013. China has refused to take part in the case."