The South China Sea as an are of potential armed conflict?

The South China Sea dispute receives continually growing attention. Seven countries has territorial claims over the area. These countries are: People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and Cambodia. The reasons are strategic position of the South China Sea, potential oil and liquid gas reserves and fisheries managemet. Countries outside of the region have various interests in the area as well. These countries are: the USA, Japan, India and South Korea. The South China Sea dispute exceeds its regional nature and the events in it influence the world on a global level. Does the dispute head towards armed conflict and does evidence tell us so? The aim of this work is to answer this question through the use of specific indicators. The focus during creation of this work is to combine quantitive methods of research with scholarly literature