South-East Asian nations mobilise to secure their interest at South China Sea; trade in area worth trillions of dollars

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Agencies): As tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea, members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) face increasing pressure in balancing economic concerns with overlapping territorial claims in the area.

Increasingly the area is being seen as a potential flashpoint as tensions mount over the status of Taiwan with militarisation of artificial islands in the area and responses which include potential nuclear submarine patrols and bases being hosted in countries such as the Philippines.