Around 70 naval officials from 30 Pacific nations met in Nanjing on Tuesday to discuss maritime security. Among other things, the three-day meeting will focus on updating the rules for unexpected encounters at sea, according to China’s state media – including preventing the accidental escalation of such encounters. This week’s working group meeting is intended to prepare for the biennial Western Pacific Naval Symposium this April in Qingdao. The event was last held in Japan in November 2022.