According to a post on the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s official social media account, the working-level meeting was held in Hawaii from November 18 to 20, Reuters reported.
U.S. and Chinese military officials previously met in April, marking the first such meeting on military issues since the beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. The bi-annual consultations are known as the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) Working Group.
“The two sides held a frank and constructive exchange of views…mainly on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the United States,” the Chinese Navy said in a statement posted.
China also criticized the US freedom of navigation operations in a statement. These attacks frequently take place in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, which are international waters over which China claims sovereignty.
“China… firmly opposes any violations and provocations,” the Chinese Navy said in a statement, referring to the sea and overflight passages by U.S. forces.
The two sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air encounters between the two militaries, so that the front lines of China and America’s naval and air forces can interact more professionally and safely,” the statement said.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concern about China’s activities in the South China Sea and around Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun last month.
China has steadily increased the deployment of its air force, navy and coast guard around democratically ruled Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims over the island.
The report added that the Pentagon is pushing to improve communications with China on military modernization and regional posture, calling for greater transparency in its nuclear weapons buildup and expanded theater-level consultations with military commanders.
Master’s degree/PR