(VOVWORLD) - Military officials from the US and China met on April 2-4 for working-level talks focused on ensuring safe and professional air and naval interactions between their forces.
The two-day discussions, held in Honolulu, marked the resumption of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group, a series of annual operational safety dialogues. The MMCA dialogues were established more than two decades ago; they were last held in December 2021.
The head of the US delegation, Army Col. Ian Francis, Indo-Pacom's director of Northeast Asia policy, said he looks forward to future discussions aimed at safeguarding forces operating in the region.
"The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement is U.S. Indo-Pacom's primary means to directly discuss air and maritime operational safety with the People's Liberation Army of China," Francis said. "The United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific wherever international law allows, and we take this responsibility seriously.
"Open, direct and clear communications with the PLA and with all other military forces in the region is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication," he said.