Stars and Stripes reports that “China’s military buildup in the South China Sea dominated the first day of a key Asian security summit Friday, with U.S. partners trying to strike a balance between challenging the Chinese and working with them in what some see as a new reality in the region.”  

“’I believe that if we look at everything from the standout of conflict we will never be able to see a way out,’ Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in the keynote address at the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue.”  

“’If we focus solely on [territorial water] borders, some of which are still in dispute, then again we will never find a way out,’ he said.”