The chief of US naval operations has spoken with his Chinese counterpart via video link.
Thursday's call between Admiral John Richardson and Admiral Wu Shengli lasted about an hour. It comes two days after a US destroyer patrolled off China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea. Chinese naval chief said "such dangerous and provocative acts have threatened China's sovereignty and security and harmed regional peace and stability".
According to a US defense official, the admirals agreed on maintaining dialogue and sticking to established military protocols to avoid misunderstandings when their naval forces operate in close proximity.
