U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had a brief conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Lee Shangfu.

The EPA reports to France24 that a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement by Brigadier General Pat Ryder.

A Pentagon spokesman said Austin and Lee spoke briefly at the opening dinner of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. "The two leaders shook hands, but there was no significant exchange of ideas," he said.
Ryder added that the Pentagon believes it is important to keep communication lines open. "The United States will continue to engage in meaningful military negotiations at many levels to manage relations responsibly," he said.

It should be noted that the U.S. invited Chinese Defense Minister Lee to meet austin during the Shanghai-La Dialogue in Singapore, but China refused.