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

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (right) shakes hands with US Defense Secretary James Mattis during a meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) security summit in Singapore on Thursday. (Photo: AFP)

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

Wei said China and the US 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 US 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 US postponed the second-round of China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue earlier in October.

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