The phrase "escalate tension" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a situation in which the tension between two or more parties becomes increasingly stronger. For example: "The political rhetoric between the two neighbors has been escalating tension between their populations."
If Wells Fargo executives escape any such fate, it could escalate tension over the accountability divide.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry condemned the visit in a statement, calling it an "attempt to destabilize the situation and to escalate tension in the Caucasus region".
I did not realize how Reich's harmony, with its ever-changing masses of suspended tones, would escalate tension over the hour-long span.
Relations between China and the Philippines have deteriorated sharply, with a China Daily article, carried by the People's Daily Web site, warning Manila today "not to escalate tension".
In a tweet, the Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, urged Russia not to do anything that would "escalate tension or create misunderstanding".
It shows that in an atmosphere already charged with hostility between the United States and China over cybersecurity issues, including large-scale attacks on computer networks, even a misunderstanding has the potential to escalate tension and set off an overreaction.
Were nationalist politicians to fill the vacuum in Greece, that could escalate tensions with Turkey.
This bill would escalate tensions between China and America, and risk sparking a trade war.
I don't think the Americans are really in a position to escalate tensions".
It is crucial for both to exercise maximum restraint and avoid anything which may escalate tensions".
Everyone must think carefully about their actions and work to lower, not escalate, tensions.
