Asean, China to adopt communications protocol to ease tensions at sea

MANILA (Sept 2): Southeast Asian countries and China will establish hotlines and adopt communications protocols to avoid potential naval clashes in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, a Philippines foreign ministry official said on Friday.

The protocols will be signed in Laos next week, when heads of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meet with leaders from other regional powers - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia and the United States - for a three day summit.

The mechanism, called the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), would be new for both Asean and China, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Helen de la Vega told a news conference.

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