United States Department of Defense

U.S. CONCLUDES MILITARY TALKS WITH CHINA

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense and the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army met on Guam Sept. 14-15 in a special meeting of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA). The United States delegation was led by U.S. Pacific Command representative, Rear Adm. Tom S. Fellin. The Chinese delegation was led by Major Gen. Zhang Bangdong from the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China.

The meeting was conducted in a professional atmosphere. The discussion focused on general principles of international law and treaties as well as principles and procedures for the safety of military aircraft and military vessels operating in the vicinity of one another. In addition, both sides agreed on the importance of continuing to use the MMCA process to reduce the possibility of air and maritime incidents.

The special meeting concluded by recommending that the MMCA's next working group session address the issues of military aviation and maritime safety and continue the dialogue on these issues.