"New satellite images taken in early September purportedly show construction for a third Chinese airstrip in the South China Sea, this time on Mischief Reef, which would be of particular concern to the Philippines. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which released the latest images, the potential runway would be just 21 nautical miles (39 kilometers) from the Philippine warship BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tank landing ship that was grounded by the Philippines in 1999 and became an outpost for a contingent of marines at Second Thomas Shoal," The New York Times reports.
The Wall Street Journal writes, "Stocks in Shanghai jumped nearly 5% Wednesday, while most other markets in the region climbed back from their lowest levels in years ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest-rates decision. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 2.4% at 21966.66, putting the benchmark up 6.7% from its close on Sept. 7, which had been its lowest since July 2013. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.6%, having hit its lowest level in nearly two years on Aug. 24. South Korea's Kospi gained 2%, bouncing back from its lowest level in more than two years also on Aug. 24."
"President Barack Obama will raise concerns about cyber security with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet in Washington this month amid rising U.S. worries about Chinese hacking of U.S. government and commercial targets, the White House said on Monday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he did not have any updates on the timing of potential sanctions against China related to cyber attacks ahead of Xi's visit. U.S. officials held meetings last week with Meng Jianzhu, China's domestic security chief, to discuss cyber concerns," Reuters writes.