Last week's visit to the United States by officers of the Chinese navy will deepen mutual understanding and help reduce misunderstandings and misjudgments at sea, delegation members told China Daily.

"In the past, when our ships met at sea, both of us - captains from the two navies - didn't know what the other side was thinking or how we should communicate with each other," said Commander Zhao Yanquan, captain of a missile destroyer of the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army navy.

"Through the visit, we began to get acquainted personally and shared our thoughts on many things," Zhao said.