Iftekhar Anis: Conflicts in Asia may disrupt important maritime trade routes

High risks of instability remain in East and South Asia, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies Iftekhar Anis said in Baku during the 13th session of the Forum of Think Tanks of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Report informs.

"Asia, despite its significant economic weight - more than 40% of the world's GDP and over 60% of the world's population - remains a region with some of the most acute hotbeds of tension in the world," he noted.

Anis emphasized that high risks of instability remain in East and South Asia: territorial disputes in the South China Sea, tensions around Taiwan, missile tests and nuclear uncertainty in South Asia.

"These conflicts can undermine regional stability and disrupt vital maritime trade routes through which almost a third of the world's trade passes," he noted.