South China Sea Flashpoint: Philippine lawmakers and President Marcos condemned a reported Chinese Coast Guard assault on a Philippine Navy officer near Ayungin/Second Thomas Shoal, with calls for DFA action and reference to the 2016 UN arbitral ruling. Maritime Tensions: China released video footage of a Ren’ai Jiao/Second Thomas Shoal confrontation, accusing Manila of ramming and attacks, as the dispute threatens to dominate ASEAN talks. Japan-China-Russia Drill: Japan said a Chinese destroyer carried out live-fire drills with Russia inside Japan’s EEZ near Okinotori, the first such disclosure by Tokyo. ASEAN Diplomacy: ASEAN foreign ministers met in Manila, backing unity and global security, while Malaysia was set to coordinate ASEAN-Türkiye ties and Sweden, Poland, Romania and Lithuania were accepted to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Korea-ASEAN Outreach: South Korea’s FM Cho Hyun heads to Manila to push cooperation on energy, economic security, AI, culture and anti-scam efforts, and to seek support for peace on the Korean Peninsula. China Tech & Society: China’s Chang’e-6 findings suggest Earth’s magnetosphere shapes how solar wind hits the Moon’s two hemispheres differently, while China’s vaccine doses fell to a record low amid demographic strain. Economy & Trade: China moves to phase out VAT rebates for battery exports, signaling a shift away from volume-led export growth.