Towards establishing legally binding rules to resolve territorial disputes. However, they failed to make a concrete schedule for when that minor league happen. Asean leaders met with chinese premier wen jiabao on monday evening. The South China Sea is a contentious issue in part because the area is believed to hold rich natural resources. Vietnam and the philippines have claimed other parts of the sea. They are strongly in favor of a legally binding code of conduct, or coc. But china seems reluctant. It apparently believes the coc will limit its maritime activities. Before the talks, a Chinese Government spokesperson said asean should have more important issues to deal with. Translator first of all, asean nations should take appropriate measures in order to make progress in the region. They should focus on how they can boost their economic growth. Now, after the meeting, indones indonesias foreign minister told reporters that asean and china agreed on the need to take concrete action towards establishing legally binding rules to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea. However, it seems they failed to agree on when this might happen. And china appears to have a twopronged strategy when it comes to dealing with asean. It has taken a firm stance against the claims of countries like the philippines and vietnam to islands in the South China Sea. But elsewhere, china is using its economic and cultural influence to win friends, including here in cambodia. The cambodian economy relies on china. Nearly half of overseas investment over the past five years has come from china. Chinesefunded buildings and roads are everywhere. At this market in central phnom penh from clothes to food, most of the goods on sale are imported from china. Eight chinese language newspapers are published in cambodia, and it isnt only workers from china who read them. Translator chinese newspapers help me understand china well. As a student of chinese, i also find them useful through learning. More and more cambodians are learning chinese. About 50 chinese language schools operate in the country with instructors dispatched from china. Translator my mission is to teach Chinese Culture to people in cambodia. I contribute to deeper bilateral relations. Translator if i can speak chinese, i can get the good job and my future will be bright. The philippines is one country in direct disagreement with china over the South China Sea. Contested islands include the shoal, the site of a tense standoff this year. But even in the philippines, chinese pressure appears increasingly hard to resist. Nhk worlds Charmaine Deogracias reports. Reporter this philippine resort rarely accepts chinese anymore. They stopped sending chinese tour groups here, citing safety concerns. Philippine banana exports to china have been suspended after china tightened quarantine inspections. It says insects were found in the fruit. The move stoked opposition to china in the philippines. At the u. N. General assembly, the Philippine Government sought support for its position. Translator we believe in mediation and other forms of thirdparty dispute settlement, including judicial settlement. Reporter the philippines started preparing to bring its case to the International Tribunal for the law of the sea. But it failed to Win International support. The plan risked further provoking china. The Philippine Government is not proceeding with it for now. Strained relations have started to hurt the philippine economy, so the government is trying to mend fences with china. Undergoing a transition where hopefully there will be less nationalistic pressures. Reporter china has also softened its position. Vice foreign minister in charge of Asian Affairs fu ying visited manila last month. She delivered to aquino a message from president hu jintao that said china values friendly bilateral relations. An expert says chinas strained relations with japan over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea is behind the apparent shift in its stance towards the philippines. There are two areas where it has to cannot deal with it simultaneously, then it has to resolve first the other. Reporter the policy shift opened the door to the return of Chinese Tourists to resorts in the philippines. Chinese travel agencies resumed group tours in late october for the first time in five months. Chinas banana inspections were eased, and exports are recovering. But near the disputed scarborough shoal, the situation remains largely unchanged. China continues to dispatch surveillance ships to the area even after the philippines withdrew its own vessels. A former senior official of the Philippine Foreign ministry warns that the current diplomatic approach could force the country to give up the shoal. We must regain access to the area. Otherwise, the risk of it completely is there. Were joined now by nhk worlds pin janda who is covering the meetings here in phnom penh. Now, pin, mondays sessions unveiled its new leadership headed by xi jinping. Has there been any indication of a change of policy Going Forward . Chinas new officials are moved to be sworn in next month, so china is now in a transition period. As much as possible it wants to avoid trouble with its neighbor. There were signs of that during mondays meeting. For now, they seem to be sticking to the existing diplomatic policies of outgoing president hu jintao. But it gives the new generation time to strengthen its support base. Now, as we saw in the previous reports, chinas influence in Southeast Asia continues to spread. How will asean deal with china in the future . The host nation, cambodia, has taken out the sensitivity to china that contrasts with the philippines and vietnam, which held e specific territorial dils pults. Asean has a goal of creating a market of more than 500 Million People among its ten members. That would make them a powerful player in the global economy. To get there, asean needs to remain united. Another question is aseans relationship with the u. S. The Obama Administration has a policy of working to counter the rise of china. How asean nations take part in that policy shift may have an impact. Cambodia isnt the only country to feel the impact of chinas spreading influence. Economic, political, and military. If asean wants to cooperate with its neighbor on the equal footing, Member States need to remain united and work with the United States. Thank you very much, indeed, for that. Speaking there to nhk worlds phin chanda. U. S. President barack obama arrived here in cambodia on monday evening to attend the twoday east asia summit. On tuesday, hell hold bilateral meetings with leaders including the Prime Minister of japan and the chinese premier as well. Now, how will the United States respond to the growing presence of china here in Southeast Asia . Well, well keep you updated as these delicate discussions continue. Im Patchari Raksawong reporting from phnom penh. Patchari, thanks. Barack obama made history before he arrived in cambodia. He became the first sitting u. S. President to visit myanmar. Obama praised the countrys transition to democracy, but he called for more reforms. Obama met with president thein sein. He referred to the nation for the first time in public as myanmar. The name made official by the military. The u. S. Government usually calls it burma. I shared with president thein sein our belief that the process of reform that he is taking is one that will move the country forward. Local people lined the streets waving u. S. Flags to welcome the american president. Obama then met longtime democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi at her home. Im proud to be the First American president to visit this spectacular country. Weve seen some very encouraging progress. We are working to success for our people and for the friendship between our two countries. Some human rights activists called the visit premature, but obama said they should take the opportunity to encourage what he called the better impulses in the country. Israeli leaders are being bombarded with International Calls for a ceasefire even as their military forces bombard more targets in gaza. The fighting started nearly a week ago. The israelis are going after the Islamist Group hamas in retaliation for attacks on their towns and cities. Theyre considering a ground offensive. Israeli military forces are using fighter jets and warships to pound gaza. Leaders say theyre trying to prevent hamas from firing rockets into israel. The consequences have been deadly. One air strike caused a residential building to collapse. 11 people died including women and children. The sixday offensive has killed more than 90 people. A survey by a leading newspaper says 84 of israeli respondents back the military campaign but only 30 say they would support a ground operation. U. N. Secretary general ban ki moon wants to avoid that outcome. Hes repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire. Egyptian leaders are mediating truce talks between Israeli Government representatives and hamas. Israels vice Prime Minister moshe yaalon says his country will halt its offensive if hamas stops firing rockets and missiles at its citizens in terrorist attacks engineered from the gaza strip seas. For more on this, i talked to our middle east correspondent. First off, there have been many casualties from the exchange of fire. Do you think israel will actually launch a ground offensive in gaza as they did back in 2009 . You have to keep in mind that there will be a general election in israel in january. The Prime Minister, benjamin netanyahu, is known for his hardline attitude toward the palestinians. His main support comes from the right. Israel is shocked by the fact that some of their fellow citizens were killed by hamas rockets and that those rockets actually landed in tel aviv and on the outskirts of jerusalem, which are quite far netanyahu is more likely to send Ground Troops into gaza if hamas rocket attacks continue. But at the same time, if he decides to send in ground forces, he will come under severe international criticism. I dont think he wants to send in troops. I suspect he will make a decision on what to do after monitoring how International Mediation efforts for a ceasefire pan out. Is the mediation likely to succeed . The present situation doesnt warrant optimism. Ma hamas is seeking revenge for the recent killing of its military leader. Key player is egypt. The country has a peace treaty with israel and is in position to exercise influence on hamas. Last years Political Revolution in egypt has created a new set of dynamics in the middle east. The former president Hosni Mubarak prioritized relations with the United States and israel. He regarded Islamic Forces as a threat. But current president mohamed morsi, who took office earlier this year, is more sympathetic to hamas and the palestinians. Morsi formerly belonged to muslim brotherhood, and hamas is an offshoot of that organization. Are negotiations happening behind the scenes as we speak . Hamas leaders and the israeli envoy are set to be in cairo having indirect talks through egyptian negotiator. Israel wants no determination in its time with egypt. U. N. Secretarygeneral ban kimoon is scheduled to travel to cairo soon. And Arab League Secretarygeneral al arabi is set to go to gaza on tuesday. Their mediation efforts are likely to have an impact on whether the fighting between israel and hamas continue. That was nhk cease senior commentator nobody hee is a degawa. South koreas Largest Opposition Party and an independent politician are still working to pick a candidate for the countrys president ial election next month. Representatives of moon jaein of the Democratic United Party and independent ahn cheolsoo on monday resumed talks to pick one of them to run against the ruling party candidate. The negotiations had been suspended since last week. Details of the talks were not available. But at a press conference, both men showed strong motivation to be the candidate. Translator i was chosen in a preliminary election within my party, and it would be impossible for me to make any concessionin concessions. Translator the two camps should achieve unity that would be welcomed by supporters of both candidates. With just a month until the election, the focus is whether the two sides can agree on a kand da si to pete bate the ruling partys park geunhye. Some students in south korea are caught in a bind. They cant land a wellpaying job without earning a university degree. But without a job, they cant afford tuition. Well be taking a closer look at south korea as voters there prepare for a president ial election next month. Nhk worlds kaho izumitani reports on the tough transition into the working world. Reporter the sun has only just come up, but students at this school in seoul have already got their heads in their books. Its 7 40 in the morning. These are not high schoolers. Many of them are College Students and graduates seeking jobs in topnotch korean firms. They know employers want to see a line on their resume proving theyre proficient in english. This woman is taking a year off from college to sharpen her skills. She studies english all day. Next year shell set out to find a job. Translator many people recognize you if you get into a big company. Thats not the case if you join small firms. Reporter but too many students compete for too few jobs, especially at top companies. More than half leave School Without a job. Reporter many cant bear the cost. Tuition is soaring. So, many students have to quit. But without a degree, a good job is out of the question. Crowds of students have taken to the streets to demand that government leaders keep their promises and cut tuition in half. This woman will graduate this month. Shes looking for a parttime job at a convenience store. The pay, 4. 00 an hour. She took out two student loans, but she couldnt cover tuition. She will graduate more than 8,000 in debt. Translator i need to pay back my tuition. I have no choice but to keep working part time. I guess i will have to give up searching for a fulltime job. Reporter parks camped out at the apartment of a friend. But when she graduates, shell have to go. Park cant turn to her parents. Her father doesnt have a steady job. She worries about how shell support them when they get older when she can hardly support herself. Translator i know the reality. I will have to continue paying my debt by parttime jobs, and that will not end. Reporter park says she feels her burden just keeps getting bigger, and she says its hard to find a silver lining. Kaho izumitani, nhk world, seoul. An nhk opinion poll suggests public support for the cabinet of Prime MinisterYoshihiko Noda has dropped to a new low. Nhk conducted the survey over the weekend after noda dissolved the lower house to call a snap election in december. The cabinets approval rate stood at 22 , down one point from a week earlier. The disapproval rate rose by two points to a new high of 61 . The support rate for the Democratic Party rose nearly five points to 17. 4 . Thats against 24. 7 for the oppositions liberal Democratic Party. The recently formed Japan Restoration Party scored just below 4 . More than 34 of respondents said they support no particular party. Voters were also asked who they would prefer as Prime Minister between the incumbent Yoshihiko Noda and ldp leader shinzo abe. 20 chose noda against 27 for abe. 48 said neither would do. Chinese authorities are investigating an incident that highlights the social tension bubbling below the surface in that country. Hundreds of people in the Southern City of fuan clashed with police over a Traffic Accident saturday, two days after chinas new leadership took power. Local media say a man without a license drove a car into several vehicles and motorcycles. No one died, but five people were reported injured. Bystanders and drivers who were involved in the accident fought with police. They overturned three police vehicles. Authorities brought the situation under control by the end of the day. The Associated Press quoted one resident who said people became upset because police and paramedics took nearly an hour to arrive to help the injured. However, media in hong kong report anger over Police Corruption triggered the riot. The city of fuan is in fujian province. New chinese leader xi jinping worked as a communist Party Representative in that province from 1985 to 2002. Northern japan is looking more like winter. Our meteorologist robert speta