Chinese and U.S. officials on Wednesday gave a positive assessment of their military talks aimed at addressing the growing nuclear threat from North Korea and a series of naval skirmishes that have marred relations between the two countries. The two days of dialogue were the first military talks since December 2008, when China broke off annual military exchanges to protest a $6.5 billion arms deal between the United States and Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Although there were no measurable achievements, both sides agreed to another round of high-level military talks next month intended to ease tensions that have been heightened by China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea. In the latest episode, a Chinese submarine damaged a piece of sonar equipment that was being towed by a U.S. naval ship three weeks ago. China later described the collision as an accident. During other, more aggressive confrontations this year, Chinese fishing vessels have menaced U.S. surveillance ships during routine patrols. The United States insists that the intelligence-gathering missions are allowed under international law, an assertion that China has repeatedly challenged. China downplayed the skirmishes on Wednesday, saying that both countries should increase communication to minimize potential conflict. 'Our two sides agreed to work together to avoid such incidents from happening again, since such incidents will surely have a negative impact on our bilateral relations in general,' Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said at a news conference on Wednesday. Michele Flournoy, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy and Ma's American counterpart in the discussions, echoed that sentiment, saying there was no reason such 'accidents' should harm relations, even if the two countries remain at odds over the definition of international waters. 'We have to put the safety of mariners first and foremost,' she said in a separate news conference. During talks about North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions, Flournoy said Chinese military officials reiterated their support for the recent U.N. Security Council sanctions that seek to punish North Korea for the detonation of a nuclear device last month. 