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Yuanyue Dang

The Chinese and US militaries held working group talks on maritime military safety in Hawaii on Thursday and Friday, both sides have announced, in the latest effort by the two geopolitical rivals to keep military-to-military communication channels open.
The meeting marked the first military communication between Beijing and Washington since last month’s high-profile summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing.
A brief statement published by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on its official WeChat account said representatives of the Chinese and US militaries “had candid and constructive exchanges on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the US, on the basis of equality and respect”.
The talks were grounded in the “constructive strategic stability between China and the US” reached at last month’s Xi-Trump summit, the announcement said.
The statement added that “the Chinese side firmly opposes any act that endangers China’s sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation and overflight, and opposes any infringement and provocation, as well as close-in reconnaissance harassment, directed against China”.
The PLA Navy notice also said that the two sides “agreed that effective communication and exchanges” would help “front-line forces carry out their missions more professionally, enhance mutual understanding and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments”.




On Friday, the US military said in a press release that military officials from the US Indo-Pacific Command, US Pacific Fleet, US Pacific Air Forces and US Coast Guard had met with PLA representatives in Honolulu.
The forum “provides for discussions between operators focused on reducing the risk of unsafe and unprofessional encounters”, according to the US readout.
The meeting came after the Chinese navy repeatedly drove away military aircraft and warships belonging to US allies in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
On the day the working group meeting began, the Chinese military said it had used measures including electronic interference to drive away the Dutch frigate De Ruyter near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
It also accused the Dutch navy of triggering “miscalculation”.
But the Dutch defence ministry insisted its warship was “sailing in waters where free movement is permitted”.
China has also repeatedly accused the US of disrupting regional peace and stability by sending military aircraft and warships to the South China Sea, and by holding large-scale military exercises with regional allies.
China and the US signed the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) in 1998. Under the mechanism, working groups from the two militaries meet once or twice a year.
The framework was later suspended after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 visit to Taiwan, which drew strong condemnation from the Chinese government.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China and will use force if necessary to achieve unification.
Most countries, including the US and Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington opposes any attempt to seize the self-governed island by force, and has pledged to provide it with weapons.
The mechanism resumed operations in April 2024, after Xi and then US President Joe Biden reached a consensus in November 2023 to restore direct military communication.
The last meeting was held in November, also in Hawaii.
At the annual Shangri-La Dialogue regional security forum, which opened in Singapore last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth softened his rhetoric on China in his keynote speech, including by not referring to the PLA as a primary threat and not mentioning Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun was absent for the second year running.


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Officials discussed ways to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations during encounters between their forces


Officials discussed ways to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations during encounters between their forces.


US and China hold ‘candid’ maritime military safety talks in Hawaii

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Officials discussed ways to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations during encounters between their forces

Officials discussed ways to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations during encounters between their forces