A new space hotline has been set up between the two countries to help prevent future misunderstandings.
War in space might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but as offensive and defense space technologies become ever-more sophisticated it might not be long before rival nations start shooting each other's satellites out of the sky.
Now in a renewed bid to stop this from ever happening, China and the United States have set up their own direct communications line through which they aim to share information about their operations in space to prevent accidents or misunderstandings that could lead to war.
The setup is similar to the nuclear hotlines used by Russia and the US during the Cold War.
"Up until about nine or 10 months ago, we had to send notifications to the Chinese via their ministry of foreign affairs," said assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose.
"The chain would go from Joint Space Operations Center to the Pentagon to the State Department, to the US embassy in Beijing, and then on to a contact there."
With the new hotline however the matter of communicating with China about possible collisions or other potential hazards in space can be achieved much more quickly and effectively.
"Hopefully, it would get to the right people in China at the right time," said Rose.
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