Why reduced South China Sea tension is possible in 2015
2015-01-07 08:39:56 source:Philstar
January 6, 2015
"The long-standing rivalry over maritime zones in the South China Sea will not be settled but may simmer down this year, analysts say.
Robert Farley, professor at University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, believes that the import-oriented trend in the oil industry can affect how rival claimants China and its smaller neighbors such as the Philippines see economic prospects of the key waterway.
"The decline in oil prices may make energy exploration in the South China Sea a less lucrative prospect, and conceivably could contribute to a dialing back of maritime tensions in the region," Farley said in an analysis on The Diplomat."
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