WASHINGTON: Beijing turned down an offer of talks after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, Washington alleged on Tuesday.
US Defence Department spokesman Pay Ryder said after the balloon was shot down over US waters on Sunday, the Pentagon requested a secure call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Minister of National Defence Wei Fenghe, according to German Press Agency (dpa).
However, China declined the request, Ryder said in a statement.
“We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC (People’s Republic of China) in order to responsibly manage the relationship. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this,“ he said.
“Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue.”
The US shot down the balloon, which had been flying over the country for days, with a missile off the Atlantic coast of South Carolina on Sunday.
China was accused of using the balloon to spy on important military installations.
Beijing has claimed that it was a civilian aircraft that had veered off course and was hard to manoeuvre. - Bernama