Washington knows its surveillance against China has been a long-time security concern to Beijing. If any country conducted similar activities along the US western coast, the US response would be at least as strong as China's.

In fact, friction between the two countries, including their two militaries, has without exception been the result of the US' lack of respect for China's core interests and major concerns. Yet, each time, Washington either puts the blame on China or tries to divert attention by focusing on trivial points.

This time, it has been badgering China with accusations that the Chinese military is unprofessional or alleging that it had informed the Chinese military ahead of the encounter. It does not take a military expert to point out that entangling the two sides in such insignificant details will not help establish a workable code of conduct, so they can avoid any close encounters in the future.

Just days after the Aug 19 incident, China and the US held a working group meeting in Washington to discuss a military security code of conduct covering international waters and airspace. Last week's consultation shows the two militaries are taking steps to implement the agreement made in March between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama on establishing a mutual notification mechanism for major military activities and a standard of behavior for air and sea safety.

What happened earlier this month points to the urgency in negotiating such a code of conduct acceptable to both militaries. This was also manifested in this year's Security and Economic Dialogue between the two countries, in which both vowed to build a new type of military relations, work on broader terrains such as counter-piracy and commit to the management of crises and the prevention of accidental incidents.

Given the maturity both sides have demonstrated in managing their relations in other fields, a better crisis prevention mechanism between the two militaries is not something beyond reach as long as the two sides show sincerity and strengthen mutual trust.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. [email protected]