Did Beijing and Washington agree on a crisis prevention deal, or not?

While the Chinese side said the nations agreed to conclude a deal, a US official reportedly denied the discussion took place

Speaking at a White House arrival ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two militaries should maintain regular dialogue and “improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention.”

China’s foreign ministry said in a statement issued after the summit that the countries’ militaries had agreed “to conclude a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on crisis communication and prevention as soon as possible.”

The MOU was listed separately from the eight “deliverables and understandings” reached at the summit that were also included in the ministry’s statement, which did not specify when or where the two militaries reached this agreement.