South China Sea: poor diplomacy and deep mistrust could escalate into crisis, expert warns

A combination of poor diplomacy and deep mistrust among South China Sea claimant states could escalate tensions into a “crisis”, an expert has warned while urging more measures to protect “aggrieved” countries.

Lucio Pitlo, a research fellow at the Manila-based Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation think tank, told a conference in China on Friday there was a consensus that the situation in the disputed waters had become “increasingly untenable”.

“The risk is increasing,” he said, describing a “disturbing” spate of sea and air incidents, particularly between China and the Philippines.

Pitlo, who was speaking at a conference on the South China Sea held on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia in China’s southern Hainan province, said “poor diplomacy and a high trust deficit run the risk of mishandling accidents, which can turn them into [a] crisis”.

The conference was organised by Chinese institutions, including the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and the China Oceanic Development Foundation.