Tensions in the South China Sea could escalate to 'irreversible' levels amid worsening prospects for any solution, according to a new international study.
The latest survey by the non-partisan International Crisis Group examines the role of Southeast Asian claimants in the dispute with China and urges much greater regional efforts towards easing escalating risks while managing joint development of resources in disputed areas.
'In the absence of such a mechanism, tensions in the South China Sea could all too easily be driven to irreversible levels,' the Brussels-based group warns in the report, released yesterday.
'While the likelihood of major conflict remains low, all of the trends are in the wrong direction, and prospects of a resolution are diminishing,' it said.
The study involved a wide range of interviews with officials and analysts across the region and follows its report in April that focused on China's role in the dispute.
'The extent and vagueness of China's claims to the South China Sea, along with its assertive approach, have rattled other claimants,' it says.