HONOLULU, Nov. 21 (UPI) — U.S.-China maritime security discussions during talks in Hawaii last month brought together military leaders and government officials to address concerns on both sides, officials say. The working-level talks, which China’s navy described as “candid and constructive,” sought to prevent hazardous air and sea confrontations by sharing details of recent episodes and restating rules for conduct, Nov. 22, 2015.
Beijing said in a statement posted on social media by the official People’s Liberation Army Navy, and summarized by Reuters and state-run outlets like China Daily, that the Hawaii sessions were the second meeting of the 2025 MMCA working group, an annual conference dedicated to maritime and aerial safety issues that reviewed what it described as standard naval and air encounters in order to make them even safer.
Chinese reports added that the first 2025 round of US-China maritime security talks took place in Shanghai in April, suggesting that the two sides have now met twice under the current MMCA framework after years of sporadic contact. Anadolu Agency had cited the earlier round as a sign of resumed dialogue.
China’s announcement sought to stress that it is unconditionally opposed to any activities by other countries in the name of freedom of navigation or overflight that it says undermine its sovereignty and security, and warned that it will take steps to respond to what it believes are infringements or close-in reconnaissance near its coastlines.
MARITIME SECURITY TALKS: US-China MMCA maritime security talks recommenced in Honolulu in April 2024 after a hiatus since 2021, when the matter-of-factly made calls on representatives of its joint, naval and air components met PLA colleagues to discuss incidents and reaffirm safety rules, a April 5 release from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says.
At that meeting, Col. Ian Francis, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s director of Northeast Asia policy, said the working group was the command’s “No. 1 means” to talk to China about air and maritime operational safety with the People’s Liberation Army and stressed that open, unfiltered communication must be maintained to prevent accidents and misunderstandings.
A separate Defense Department account published that same week by DOD News observed that the U.S. military had documented over 180 coercive or hazardous air intercepts of American aircraft between 2021 and 2023, but that officials had more recently witnessed fewer unsafe maneuvers, which further supported the case for frequent contact.
The MMCA mechanism itself is a child of 1998 and has repeatedly brought American and Chinese officers into the same room, including sessions in Honolulu in 2015 and 2017 that focused on communication, professionalism, and respect for international law as stopping points along the path from tactical miscalculation to wider crisis.
The US-China discussion of maritime security this week also comes as the Trump administration seeks to restart higher-level hotlines with Beijing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is advocating for more consistent crisis communications with China, following a reportedly chaotic January 7 meeting between U.S. and Chinese military officials about the situation in Korea. Dong Jun warned allies about China’s military buildup around Taiwan and across the South China Sea.
While officials say the US-China maritime security dialogue in Hawaii will not settle differences over Taiwan or rival territorial claims, it can help manage daily risks by addressing matters such as radio procedures and the distances between maneuvers, and by signaling one another when aircraft or ships approach during patrols and surveillance missions.
The two sides agreed on a Work Plan to organize the agenda for a 2026 MMCA working group meeting, according to Chinese and U.S. readouts, suggesting that US-China maritime security discussions will continue at least semiannually despite broader disagreements over trade, technology, and regional influence.
U.S. defense reporting guidance also stresses clear, accurate public descriptions of such encounters to reassure regional allies and keep them informed about how the two militaries are working to minimize hazardous air and sea incidents.
