Overview
- Representatives from the Chinese and US militaries met in Hawaii for a two-day working group under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement on May 28–29, 2026, the PLA said.
- China’s PLA Navy described the exchanges as candid and constructive and said the sides reviewed how the Rules of Behavior for Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters have been carried out since the MMCA in 2025.
- Both sides agreed that regular communication helps frontline forces act more professionally and can reduce misperception and miscalculation during close encounters at sea and in the air.
- The Chinese statement reiterated firm opposition to operations that it says use 'freedom of navigation and overflight' as a pretext to threaten China’s sovereignty, but no new operational commitments or joint protocols were publicly released.
- The talks follow last month’s Xi–Trump summit and continue a pattern of keeping military-to-military channels open; the next practical effect to watch for is whether talks produce written procedures or routine communication lines for frontline units.