The Chinese and US militaries held working group talks on maritime military safety in Hawaii on Thursday and Friday, both sides have announced, in the latest effort by the two geopolitical rivals to keep military-to-military communication channels open.

The meeting marked the first military communication between Beijing and Washington since last month’s high-profile summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing.

A brief statement published by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on its official WeChat account said representatives of the Chinese and US militaries “had candid and constructive exchanges on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the US, on the basis of equality and respect”.

The talks were grounded in the “constructive strategic stability between China and the US” reached at last month’s Xi-Trump summit, the announcement said.

The statement added that “the Chinese side firmly opposes any act that endangers China’s sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation and overflight, and opposes any infringement and provocation, as well as close-in reconnaissance harassment, directed against China”.

The PLA Navy notice also said that the two sides “agreed that effective communication and exchanges” would help “front-line forces carry out their missions more professionally, enhance mutual understanding and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments”.