THE possibility that China will abandon hope of peacefully reuniting with Taiwan is still 'more dangerous' to regional and global peace than the continued escalation of tensions in the South China Sea, the head of a US-based maritime transparency project said Monday.

The view of retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell, who heads Sealight, which monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea, contrasted with that expressed by former US diplomat Douglas Paal, who told the South China Morning Post that the risk of a confrontation over Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal was much higher and 'something more dangerous' than an invasion of Taiwan.