US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday stressed the need to maintain dialogue with China and its neighbours, to prevent current tensions in the region from spiralling out of control. “Every conversation is not going to be a happy conversation. But it is important that we continue to talk to each other,” Austin told the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore. However, despite the obvious differences of opinion, the secretary saw no immediate danger of escalation. “You’ve also heard me say a number of times that, you know, war or a fight with China is neither imminent, in my…