Reuters writes, "China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims. Freedom of overflights and navigation doesn't mean allowing foreign warships and military jets to violate other countries' sovereignty and security, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters on Monday, after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused China of restricting such movements in the region last week. China sees freedom of navigation in the region as key because it is an important conduit for trade and natural resources, the ministry said. Kerry told a meeting of regional leaders in Kuala Lumpur last week that China's construction of facilities on man-made islands for "military purposes" was raising tension and risked "militarization" by other claimant states."

"Stocks in China posted their biggest one-day gain in a month after weak economic data lifted expectations Beijing would boost spending and continue to prop up the market by buying shares. The Shanghai Composite Index finished up 4.9% at 3928.42 Monday, while the smaller Shenzhen Composite was up 4.5% at 2274.84. Stocks in the shipping, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors led the gains, after poor trade data from the weekend fueled hopes of increased infrastructure spending and state-owned enterprise reform. Monday's moves offer yet another signal that anticipation of Beijing's measures drives the market more than economic fundamentals," The Wall Street Journal reports.

The New York Times writes, "China's foreign minister has pledged continued support to the three West African countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 11,200 people. Minister Wang Yi is in Guinea Monday for the last leg of his tour of the three countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. In Liberia on Sunday, Wang said Liberia is a good example of how China supports countries in Africa. "You will see houses and roads built by China and Chinese companies helping the people of Liberia," he said through a translator. "China is ready to continue to play that role and shoulder the responsibility."