Chinese defense minister calls for China-U.S. dialogues

General Wei Fenghe, China's defense minister, greets his US counterpart James Mattis in Beijing, June 27, 2018. (Xinhua Photo)

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Thursday met with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis in Singapore, calling for dialogues between the two countries.

The two are in Singapore to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

Wei said China and the U.S. have both common interests and differences, adding that what people hope to see are dialogues between the two countries instead of conflicts.

“Both acknowledged that the meeting itself was significant and that high-level communication can help,” said Randall Schriver, a U.S. assistant secretary of defense. “So I think it was productive in that regard.” 

Mattis and Wei met on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Singapore, ending without any public statements, Reuters reported.

China and the U.S. postponed the second-round of China-U.S. Diplomatic and Security Dialogue earlier in October.

In September, the U.S. announced sanctions on a Chinese military organization for buying Russian weapons, and the Chinese National Defense Ministry commented that the U.S. is to be blamed for the current state of China-U.S. military ties, and urged the U.S. to be rational and mature.