The U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and
constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on
Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore
military-to-military communications after several months of trade
tensions, Azernews reports via Reuters.
The working-level meetings took place November 18-20 in Hawaii,
according to a posting on the official social media account of the
People’s Liberation Army Navy.
U.S. and Chinese military officials previously held talks in April
– the first such working-level meeting on military issues since the
beginning of the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump. The
twice-yearly talks are known as the military maritime consultative
agreement (MMCA) working group.
“The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges … mainly
exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation
between China and the U.S.,” China’s navy said in its posted
statement.
China also criticised U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in
the statement. These are frequently carried out in the Taiwan
Strait and South China Sea, international waters over which China
claims sovereignty.
“China … resolutely opposes any infringement and provocation,”
China’s navy said in its statement, referring to those maritime and
overflight transits by U.S. forces.
Both sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air
encounters between the two militaries … to help the front-line
naval and air forces of China and the U.S. interact more
professionally and safely,” it said.
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