The New York Times reports: "Since 2013, China has accelerated the construction of new islands atop reefs and atolls in the South China Sea and is adding buildings and airstrips in apparent attempts to boost its sovereignty claims to the territory. Unnamed Pentagon officials said last week that the U.S. Navy may soon receive approval to sail a ship inside the 12-nautical mile (21-kilometer) territorial limit surrounding China's man-made islands, reported the Navy Times, which is closely affiliated with the U.S. Navy. ASEAN member Philippines expressed support this week for such a move. Sailing within the 12-mile (21-kilometer) boundary would mark the first time the U.S. has directly challenged China's territorial claims since 2012 and reinforce Washington's assertion that the land reclamation does not add sovereign territory. The U.S. and its allies, including the Philippines, insist that the newly made islands threaten stability in an increasingly militarized region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday the artificial islands were created for the public good and have 'nothing to do' with militarization."
The Wall Street Journal reports: "Shares in China and Hong Kong led the region higher Thursday as fresh signs of reform boosted Chinese state-owned firms. The Shanghai Composite Index closed up 2.3% and the Hang Seng Index rose 2%, as investors welcomed news that China's plans to consolidate its shipping sector are progressing. 'The market performed strongly today with the expectations of further [state-owned enterprise] reforms as well as further stimulus giving stocks considerable support,' said Gerry Alfonso, director of trading at Shenwan Hongyuan Securities. The Shanghai Composite is now up 13% from its August bottom."
CNN reports: "Scientists in southern China have discovered human teeth dating back at least 80,000 years -- 20,000 years earlier than modern humans were previously believed to have left Africa to migrate around the world. The 47 teeth were found in a cave in Daoxian, in China's Hunan province, and are the strongest proof yet that modern humans first migrated from Africa to Asia 80,000 to 120,000 years ago, according to a study published in the journal, Nature. 'This is stunning, it's major league,' Michael Petraglia, an archaeologist from the University of Oxford in the UK, who was not involved in the study, told Nature. 'It's one of the most important finds coming out of Asia in the last decade.'"