The US and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said yesterday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions.
The working-level meetings took place from Tuesday to Thursday in Hawaii, according to a post on the official social media account of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy.
US 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 US President Donald Trump. The twice-yearly talks are known as the military maritime consultative agreement working group.
Photo: EPA
“The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges ... mainly exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the US,” China’s navy said in its statement.
China also criticized US 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, referring to those maritime and overflight transits by US forces.
Both sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air encounters between the two militaries... to help the frontline naval and air forces of China and the US interact more professionally and safely,” it said.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth raised concerns about Chinese activity in the South China Sea and around Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) last month.
China has been steadily increasing air, naval and coast guard deployments around Taiwan.
The Pentagon has been pushing for improved communications with China over its military modernization and regional posture, calling for greater transparency on its nuclear weapons build-up and more theatre-level discussions with military commanders.
The working group would have a follow-up meeting next year, the statement said.
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