This application provides a communication method and a communications apparatus. The method can include performing extension based on an existing operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) packet after an intermediate node in a path of a segment routing traffic engineering (SR-TE) tunnel senses a bit error fault, to support a bit error switching function. That is, the method can include adding, to the OAM packet, identification information used to identify that signal degradation occurs in the SR-TE tunnel. As a result, it is ensured that the SR-TE tunnel supports the bit error switching function of the intermediate node, and a customer service can be effectively prevented from being damaged.