Charles Liu, a senior fellow at Peking University, debates Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at CSIS.
The South China Sea is one of the most hotly-contested and lucrative regions in the world.
In July, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in a landmark case in favour of the Philippines, which rejected the Chinese claim to almost the entire South China Sea. China called the ruling ill-founded and non-binding.
As the row in the maritime area continues to heat up, will this lead to war? Or are claims of a possible conflagration exaggerated?
In this week's Arena, we debate the issue with Charles Liu, a senior fellow at the Peking University Centre on China and Global Affairs and the founder of Hao Capital, and Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia and director of the China Power Project, at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Editor's note: This interview was recorded before Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced the end of military cooperation with the United States on October 8, 2016.
China's territorial claims are driven by a sense of historical victimisation.
Ahead of regional summit, the Philippines says Beijing should respect international tribunal's South China Sea verdict.