New deal establishes a hotline Chinese and Philippine presidents can use to stop clashes at sea

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — 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, according to highlights of the accord seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

China and the Philippines have created such emergency telephone hotlines at lower levels in the past to better manage disputes, particularly in two fiercely disputed shoals where the Philippines has accused Chinese forces of increasingly hostile actions and China says Philippine ships have encroached despite repeated warnings.

The territorial disputes, however, have persisted since last year, sparking fears of a larger armed conflict that could involve the United States, which has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, a key Asian treaty ally, if Filipino forces come under attack in the disputed waters.

U.S. Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner in Manila on Tuesday and discussed ways to further boost defense ties, enhance the militaries' ability to operate jointly and ensure regional ability, the Philippine military said.

During a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine forces at the Philippines-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in August 2023, the Philippine government said it was unable to reach Chinese officials through an established “maritime communication mechanism” for several hours. That emergency telephone hotline was arranged after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in January 2023.

Chinese and Philippine officials dealing with the territorial disputes held talks in Manila on July 2, following a violent confrontation at the Second Thomas Shoal in which Chinese coast guard personnel reportedly wielded knives, an axe and improvised spears and Philippine navy personnel were injured. The Chinese forces also seized seven Philippine navy rifles, said Brawner, who demanded China return the firearms and pay for damages.

Both sides “recognized the need to strengthen the bilateral maritime communication mechanism on the South China Sea” and signed an arrangement “on improving Philippines-China maritime communication mechanisms,” the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said in a statement after the talks in Manila, but did not provide a copy or details of the agreement.

A copy of the agreement's highlights, seen by the AP, said it “provides several channels for communication between the Philippines and China, specifically on maritime issues, through the representatives to be designated by their leaders."

The hotline talks could also be done “through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs counterparts, including at the foreign minister and vice foreign minister levels or through their designated representatives,” it said, and added without elaborating that Philippine officials were “in discussions with the Chinese side on the guidelines that will govern the implementation of this arrangement."

There was also a plan to set up a new communication channel between the Chinese and Philippine coast guards “once the corresponding memorandum of understanding” between them is concluded, according to the agreement.

During the talks in Manila, China and the Philippines agreed on two other confidence-boosting steps to intensify “cooperation between their respective coast guard authorities” and the possible convening of a maritime forum between Chinese and Philippine scientists and academic leaders.

“Both sides recognized that there is a need to restore trust, rebuild confidence and create conditions conducive to productive dialogue and interaction,” the Philippine department of foreign affairs statement said. It added that China and the Philippines “affirmed their commitment to de-escalate tensions without prejudice to their respective positions.”

It said that “there was substantial progress on developing measures to manage the situation at sea,” but acknowledged that “significant differences remain."

Find more of the AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/south-china-sea

FILE - In this handout image provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guard hold knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. A recently signed agreement will allow representatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart and their top diplomats to call each other to try to prevent any new confrontation from spiraling out of control in the disputed South China Sea, where hostilities have flared alarmingly since last year, according to highlights of the accord seen by The Associated Press Tuesday July 16, 2024. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

FILE - In this handout image provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, a Chinese Coast Guard holds an axe as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. A recently signed agreement will allow representatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart and their top diplomats to call each other to try to prevent any new confrontation from spiraling out of control in the disputed South China Sea, where hostilities have flared alarmingly since last year, according to highlights of the accord seen by The Associated Press Tuesday July 16, 2024. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP, File)

FILE - Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 is hit by two Chinese coast guard water canons causing injuries to four crew members as they tried to enter the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea Tuesday, March 5, 2024. A recently signed agreement will allow representatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart and their top diplomats to call each other to try to prevent any new confrontation from spiraling out of control in the disputed South China Sea, where hostilities have flared alarmingly since last year, according to highlights of the accord seen by The Associated Press Tuesday July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The city of Los Angeles will pay $38.2 million to settle a 2017 lawsuit after “falsely” stating on federal documents that its multifamily affordable housing units built with federal funds were accessible for people with disabilities.

The complaint was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of a Los Angeles resident, Mei Ling, who uses a wheelchair and the Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, a disability rights advocacy group. Their share of the settlement has not been determined.

Ling, 57, has used a wheelchair since January 2006— and has either been homeless or in housing without the accessibility features, the lawsuit said.

It alleged that the city of LA did not make its multifamily affordable housing options accessible to those with disabilities for at least six years. Some issues were slopes that were too steep, counters that were too high, and entryways that did not permit wheelchair access, officials said.

The lawsuit also stated the city failed to maintain a publicly available list of accessible units and their accessibility features, and that it “knowingly and falsely certified” to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that it complied with these requirements. By doing so, it violated the False Claims Act, the lawsuit said.

“The City denies that it violated the False Claims Act,” LA city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said in an emailed statement. “Nonetheless, we are pleased to have reached this $38.2 million settlement, particularly in light of the federal government’s initial claim that it was entitled to well over $1 billion in alleged damages.”

When the Housing and Urban Development department provides grant funds to local governments to build and rehabilitate affordable multifamily housing units, they must comply with federal accessibility laws, officials said. This includes a mandate that 5% of all units in certain types of federally assisted housing be accessible for people with mobility impairments, and another 2% be accessible for people with visual and auditory impairments.

They also must maintain a publicly available list of accessible units with a description of their accessibility features, among other housing-related accessibility requirements.

In the six years prior to the lawsuit filing in 2017, LA received nearly a billion dollars in various funds from the federal housing agency that went toward at least 28 multifamily housing projects, according to the plaintiffs. None of them contained the minimum number of accessible units required by law.

Meanwhile, the city “caused HUD and the public to believe that it was in compliance with all federal obligations relating to the receipt of federal housing and community development funds,” the lawsuit said.

Previously, the city settled a similar suit in 2016.

FILE - This aerial view shows a view of downtown Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)