Anadolu staff
01 June 2026•Update: 01 June 2026
China Monday highlighted renewed military engagement to “avoid miscalculation” with the US following last month’s summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing.
The latest contacts between Chinese and US military officials form part of broader efforts to implement understandings reached during the Xi-Trump meeting, which was aimed at stabilizing bilateral ties and improving communication between the two countries.
The working group meeting of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement between the two militaries was held for two days in Hawaii last week, according to details shared by China Bugle, an official social media platform operated by the Chinese military.
“Guided by the important consensus on building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability and on the basis of equality and respect, the two sides had candid and constructive exchanges on the current China-US air and maritime safety and security situation, evaluated the execution of the rules of behavior for safety of air and maritime encounters, discussed measures to improve China-US military maritime safety and security,” the statement said.
It added the two sides “agreed that effective communication and exchanges between the two militaries can help frontline troops perform tasks in a more professional manner, deepen mutual understanding and avoid misperception and miscalculation.”
The talks come amid continued tensions over trade, regional security and Taiwan, issues that have strained relations between the world’s two largest economies in recent years.
The Xi–Trump meeting last month was widely viewed as an attempt to put relations on a more stable footing after a period of heightened friction.
It was for the first time since the two nations normalized ties in the 1970s that any US president was accompanied by the Pentagon chief on a trip to Beijing.
Analysts say continued military dialogue could serve as an important confidence-building measure, particularly as both countries navigate sensitive security issues in the wider Asia-Pacific region.
In apparent reference to air and naval operations by the US and its allies in the Taiwan Strait and adjacent waters, the statement said China firmly opposes any action to “undermine China’s sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation and overflight, opposes any infringement, provocation and close-in reconnaissance and harassment targeting China.”
“China will continue to firmly safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and uphold regional peace and prosperity,” it added.