China is pushing to gain more access to the aircraft carriers of the U.S. and learn how to man Liaoning, its first carrier, as the two nations start new cooperative military ties.

The request from China comes amid recent tensions in territorial seas and reports of a Chinese spy ship monitoring the U.S.-led naval exercise in Hawaii, the Wall Street Journal detailed.

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U.S. chief of naval operations Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert visited China last week to explore more areas of cooperation with the Asian country.

Greenert received a suggestion from Chinese navy chief Admiral Wu Shengli that the U.S. should bring its Japan-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington and tour the Liaoning crew around.

Greenert said he is "receptive" to this suggestion and that this could push through in a year if Wu issues a formal proposal and policy makers from both parties support it.

Military cooperation between countries is now improving, but China is becoming more aggressive in asserting its maritime claims on disputed Asian waters.

The talks about the carrier raise a red flag in the U.S.-China relations as questions arise about whether the suggested activities will effectively reduce the existing tensions in contested regions.

China recently sent an uninvited surveillance vessel to monitor the on-going U.S.-led naval exercise off Hawaii in its first time to join the drills.

According to U.S. officials, the spy ship's activities in international waters are legal.

U.S. officials explained that China could use the Liaoning to enforce its territorial claims. China will also most likely build more indigenous carriers in the next ten years, the Pentagon said.

Wu suggested the aviation crews of both Chinese and U.S. carriers should meet to talk about "maintenance and tactics".

However, Greenert said the U.S. law forbids them to cooperate with the Chinese army in any way that might let them gain insight into U.S. military methods.

Greenert said he tried to support the eight proposals for cooperation that Wu submitted last September. The proposals included China's participation in the naval drills and the implementation of a code for unplanned encounters at sea (CUES), which 21 Pacific naval authorities signed in April.

Although some officials from China suggested the CUES was not applicable in contested waters around Chinese coast, Greenert said Wu committed to implement the code across the South China Sea.

Washington might oppose some of the proposed areas of cooperation, Greenert said. The result of the discussions would depend on China's behavior in the next few months.