Military delegates from the United States and China held their first working talks since President Donald Trump took office.
The participants exchanged views on issues of military security at sea.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a press release that the meetings, which took place Wednesday and Thursday in Shanghai, focused on “reducing instances of unsafe and unprofessional” actions by Chinese naval and air forces.
China's Defense Ministry stressed that US warships and aircraft are conducting “reconnaissance operations, surveys and intensive exercises” in the seas and airspace surrounding China, which could lead to misunderstandings and mistakes, jeopardizing the country's sovereignty and military security.
China notified the United States that it will continue to “respond to all dangerous and provocative actions” and “resolutely safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” the department said in a statement.
The talks came the same week that Beijing conducted large-scale exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan.
The meeting came shortly after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told his Japanese counterpart that Japan was “our indispensable partner in deterring military aggression from Communist China.”
Relations between Beijing and Washington have been strained in recent years over trade, cybersecurity, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
