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The risks of playing a maritime game of chicken
Beyond rules and codes, it is vital that nations with stakes in contested seas keep channels of communication open
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China’s claim to much of the South China Sea is contested by other states in South-east Asia.
PHOTO: AFP
Geoffrey Till
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The South China Sea and East China Sea are potentially perilous places to be. On top of the “normal” threats in the form of navigational accidents and a whole raft of criminal activities ranging from piracy to drugs to people smuggling, this part of the Western Pacific is an arena for rising competition between great states, and between lesser ones too.
The raised level of competition and confrontation makes it much more difficult for the world’s maritime community to respond effectively to all these “normal” threats; this in turn has an adverse impact on not just safety and security at sea but also the smooth flow of seaborne trade, with damaging spillover economic effects.
