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The region’s maritime borders are hotly contested, but on land there’s the real risk of conflict, too.
Opinion - 16 August 2026 - 11:53 AM
Credit: Depositphotos
By The Diplomat
You probably have heard of the South China Sea disputes – a major flashpoint involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei. But the South China Sea isn’t the only dispute threatening to spark a war in Southeast Asia. There are plenty more contested borders on land as well.
Today, we’re going to talk about three other territorial disputes in the region – the kind of flashpoints that stay below the headlines until it’s too late. Stay tuned, because we’re ranking them in order: from the least likely to spark an actual shooting war to the highest risk of conflict.
In fact, one of these disputes even flared into a full-blown shooting war in 2025 – and it could happen again at any time.
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