(VOVworld) – The US and China agreed on Thursday to maintain a dialogue and stick to established military protocols to avoid misunderstandings when their naval forces operate in close proximity.

The USS Lassen (front) sailing in a naval exercise with the Turkish and South Korean Navy in the Korean Peninsula on May 25, 2015. (Photo: EPA)

According to a US defense official, US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson and his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Wu Shengli, said that scheduled port visits by US and Chinese ships in November and December, and planned visits to China by senior US Navy officers in coming weeks remained on track.

The two officers video conferenced for an hour on Monday after the US Navy's destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island China has illegally built in the East Sea.