U.S., China held maritime security talks in Hawaii, Chinese navy says

The U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and constructive” maritime information talks, the Chinese Navy said connected Saturday (November 22, 2025), arsenic the 2 superpowers gradually reconstruct military-to-military communications aft respective months of commercialized tensions.

The working-level meetings took spot November 18-20 successful Hawaii, according to a posting connected the authoritative societal media relationship of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

U.S. and Chinese subject officials antecedently held talks successful April – the archetypal specified working-level gathering connected subject issues since the opening of the 2nd word of U.S. President Donald Trump. The twice-yearly talks are known arsenic the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) moving group.

“The 2 sides had frank and constructive exchanges ... chiefly exchanging views connected the existent maritime and aerial information concern betwixt China and the U.S.,” China’s Navy said successful its posted statement.

China besides criticised U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations successful the statement. These are often carried retired successful the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, planetary waters implicit which China claims sovereignty.

“China ... resolutely opposes immoderate infringement and provocation,” China’s Navy said successful its statement, referring to those maritime and overflight transits by U.S. forces.

Both sides besides discussed “typical cases of naval and aerial encounters betwixt the 2 militaries ... to assistance the front-line naval and aerial forces of China and the U.S. interact much professionally and safely,” it said.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth raised concerns astir Chinese enactment successful the South China Sea and astir Taiwan successful a gathering with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun past month.

China has been steadily boosting air, naval and seashore defender deployments astir democratically governed Taiwan, which it claims arsenic its own. Taiwan’s authorities rejects China’s claims of sovereignty implicit the island.

The Pentagon has been pushing for improved communications with China implicit its subject modernisation and determination posture, calling for greater transparency connected its atomic weapons build-up and much theatre-level discussions with subject commanders.

The moving radical volition person a follow-up gathering successful 2026, the connection said.