Japan is brokering a joint statement on the South China Sea ruling with its counterparts in the Group of Seven (G-7) advanced economies as part of a "proactive diplomacy" drive, though its own reaction to the verdict tomorrow may be muted.

China's foreign ministry said on Friday it was strongly opposed to the United States deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea and urged the two countries to put a stop to it.

South Korea said on Friday it has made a final decision together with the United States to deploy an advanced missile defense system with the U.S. military stationed in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threat.

China's foreign minister spoke with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry by telephone on Wednesday ahead of a key international court ruling on China's South China Sea claims and warned Washington against moves that infringe on China's sovereignty, Beijing's official Xinhua news agency reported.

As tensions simmer ahead of an international tribunal’s ruling on Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea, a veteran Chinese foreign policy maker is sending a stern warning about putting the verdict into action.

China is ready to start negotiations with the Philippines on South China Sea-related issues if Manila ignores an arbitration ruling expected next week on their long-running territorial dispute, the official China Daily reported on Monday.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said on Wednesday that it would announce its rulings in a contentious case between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea on July 12.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged South Korea to pay attention to China's concerns about the deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to the country and "cautiously" address the plan.

For Asia, the bad news this week was not that Donald J. Trump detailed a seven-point plan to toughen American trade policy, especially toward China. It was that Hillary Clinton’s campaign accused Mr. Trump a few hours later of purloining her ideas, noting that she favored similar action on those issues.

An international court will rule next month on the validity of China’s claims to a large swath of one of the world’s busiest and most disputed waterways.