China and Philippines to open South China Sea hotline

MANILA — The Philippines will open a new line of communication with China to prevent an accidental escalation of maritime tensions, Manila said Thursday ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Beijing next week.

The aim is to avoid miscalculations and miscommunication in the West Philippine Sea, a Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs official said, using his country’s term for the part of the South China Sea that it claims in a long-running dispute with Beijing.