China and the U.S. agreed to further negotiate and strive for a consensus on air encounters in the rules of behavior for air and maritime activities within this year. The rules currently only cover vessel-to-vessel encounters.

"Encounters between China and U.S. militaries mainly occur in the air and on the sea. It could be dangerous if behavior-regulating rules don't apply to air encounters," Yin said.

American aircraft and vessels have occasionally been seen conducting reconnaissance and patrol operations in the East China Sea and South China Sea areas, leading to fatal incidents in some cases.

In a high-profile case, a Chinese fighter jet crashed and its pilot was killed in April 2001 while tracking a U.S. surveillance plane flying off south China's Hainan Province after the U.S. plane abruptly diverted toward the fighter jet.

"Rules on behavior after air encounters will help avoid tragedies like the 2001 incident," Yin said.

Meanwhile, analysts believe that without communication and dialogue, some American politicians' misjudgements on Beijing's intentions might lead to further misunderstandings and confrontation from China's decision makers, which, in turn, might trigger regional conflict.

"It's of significant importance that the two sides boost transparency in military activities in order to promote mutual understanding and avoid misjudgment," Yin said.