A former US senior military official has warned that China and the US run the risk of getting into a military conflict over the South China Sea dispute.

The former overall commander of the US Pacific Command, retired Admiral Dennis Blair, told the Four Corners that the contrasting positions of the US and China over the South China Sea has made it almost impossible for the two sides to come together and reach a compromise.

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Despite the existing "misunderstandings" between the two countries, Blair said neither the US nor China wants to wage war to resolve their dispute in the international waterway.

Oil and gas

The South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial waterways in the world, is believed to contain large deposits of gas and oil. Up to $5 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes through the region each year.

The resource-rich region is being contested by several Asian countries besides China including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

Despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) unfavorable ruling, Beijing continues to lay claim to islands and shoals in the contested maritime territory under its nine-dash line concept.

Neutralize

China has rejected the arbitral court ruling that said Beijing had no legal basis to its claims and it violated the Philippines' maritime rights to explore its resources within its exclusive economic zone.

Blair warned that in the event a conflict would occur between the US and China, US forces will only take 10-15 minutes of work in 'neutralizing' the Chinese outposts and other military facilities Beijing had built in the disputed sea.

Blair called on Australian forces to continue joint patrols and military exercises with the US in the disputed waterway in an apparent display of force amid China's protests.

Constructions

"I think Australian and American ships should exercise together in the South China Sea, showing that, when they need to, they will send their armed forces in international airspace and water," he said.

New satellite photos released by a Washington think tank shows ongoing constructions by a Chinese crew on submerged atolls and reefs

Blair said China's territorial claims in the region are "unacceptable" to the US and that the current standoff between the two nations has created more tensions in the region and an atmosphere in which neither side would be willing to back down.

"We seem to have to deal by a series of concessions or wins, and that's the kind of relationship that can escalate up over time," he said.

TagsRet Admiral Dennis Blair, South China Sea, china, Philippines, Washington, oil and gas, Australian Defence Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, standoff