U.S. welcomes China's first-time attendance at naval forum

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. Navy officials welcomed China's first-time attendance at a 113-nation naval forum on Wednesday but made clear that despite progress in U.S.-Chinese military interaction, more work is needed to avoid incidents that could trigger a crisis.

Chinese navy chief Admiral Wu Shengli's participation in the 21st International Seapower Symposium comes less than a month after Washington formally protested what it said was a "dangerous intercept" of a Navy surveillance plane by a Chinese fighter pilot in international air space off China's coast.