A recently signed agreement will open a direct line of communication between the presidential offices of China and the Philippines to help prevent any new confrontation from spiraling out of control in the disputed South China Sea,

Manila and Beijing sign an emergency hotline agreement, although experts question whether Beijing would pick up the phone in a crisis.

A new agreement between China and the Philippines establishes a direct communication line to prevent confrontations in the disputed South China Sea from escalating. The territorial disputes have sparked fears of a larger conflict.