Relatively minor achievement underscores difficulty in resolving competing territorial claims in the area

VIENTIANE, Laos—China and Southeast Asian nations agreed to create a telephone hotline as a fresh step to help avoid accidental military clashes in the South China Sea.

Wednesday’s relatively minor achievement, however, only underscored the continuing difficulty in resolving the competing territorial claims in the area, which has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/asean-china-plan-hotline-to-avoid-south-china-sea-clashes-1473260735