Representatives from the Vietnamese and Chinese armies recently met, reports Carl Thayer and the Vietnam People’s Army Online newspaper, Quan Doi Nhan Dan. The generals discussed "hot lines," or direct technical communication links, between the two countries' defense ministries, among other things. Mr. Thayer analyses the importance of these "hot links" in helping to diffuse potential future diplomatic crises in an article in The Diplomat.
http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/why-the-upcoming-china-vietnam-defense-ministers-meeting-is-immensely-important/
http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/why-the-upcoming-china-vietnam-defense-ministers-meeting-is-immensely-important/